iNeed to Grow Up
by Assassin master ezio 91
Summary: The first day of summer has finally arrived, and the trio plus Bobby are still going strong. A surprise phone call changes everything, and with further surprises, the gang learns quickly that their childhood is at an end. Will the pressure of growing up help them mature or crush them under the weight? Sequel to iFeel a Change. Creddie, Sam/Bobby.
1. iMeet the Southern Club

**iNeed to Grow Up**

First chapter of my next iCarly series, a sequel to iFeel a Change; hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

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**iMeet the Southern Club**

It was a bright sunny day in July and eighteen year old Samantha Puckett; better known as Sam to her friends; smiled as she took one final look in the mirror. She normally didn't give a damn about her appearance; but today was a special day, so she made an effort. Her usually messy curly blonde hair had been brushed and looked neat for once and her blue eyes sparkled with life. She was also wearing a dress, something unheard of with her, but again, it was a special occasion. The special occasion that she was all dressed up for was her boyfriend's eighteenth birthday. Sam smiled wider as she thought about her boyfriend, Bobby Duke; he was from New Orleans, Louisiana and, despite it fading somewhat, still carried a strong Cajun accent when he spoke, something Sam liked about him. She then saw the time, she was going to be late; just then her phone rang, she quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sam." It was her best friend, Carly Shay.

Sam smiled. "Hi Carls, what's up?"

"Spencer's driving me and Freddie to Bobby's we're on our way to pick you up now."

"Cool, thanks." Sam replied and they hung up.

Sam quickly got everything she needed ready and then headed out of her house; thankfully her mother was out, so she wouldn't have to put up with her mother's complaints. Soon Spencer's car arrived and Sam climbed in and they drove off.

Sam was still smiling as she sat in the back with Carly and Carly's boyfriend, Freddie Benson. They were all talking excitedly on the way, Spencer smiled too as he overheard them chatting about the upcoming party. Finally Spencer parked his car outside the Duke residence and they got out of the car; Carly and Freddie noticed other cars parked nearby.

"I didn't think there would be other guests?" Carly queried; Bobby had difficulty making friends anywhere, especially when people learned about his uncle who was a prominent KKK member, something the rest of the family were disgusted by.

Sam nodded. "Apparently some of Bobby's friends from down South have come, I heard him talking to them yesterday on the phone."

The others nodded and they headed up to the front door. Sam knocked, not too long afterwards the door was answered by a slender woman of average height with long brown hair and brown eyes, it was Abby Duke, Bobby's mother.

"Welcome." She said pleasantly, smiling when she saw them all. "C'mon in, Bobby and the others are all through in the living room."

They thanked her and stepped inside, heading through to the living room. There they found Bobby's father, Remy Duke; a tall man with a well-toned build, short blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was sitting on the sofa, also on the sofa and on small chairs nearby were three other boys, seated next to his father was Bobby Duke. Like his father Bobby was tall with well-toned muscles, he also had tan skin, casually messy brown hair and brown eyes. He smiled and approached them, greeting them all happily.

"Ah'm glad ya could all make it." He told them sincerely as he kissed Sam. "C'mon, ah'll introduce ya to ma friends."

They nodded and Bobby led them over to join the group.

They all smiled and greeted them; friendly and open, clearly happy for Bobby to have made other friends. Bobby introduced the first of the boys.

"Dis is Andrew Baker, 'e's from Tennessee." He explained; Andrew nodded, smiling in greeting to them.

"Charmed."

Andrew was of a similar build to Bobby, his hair was black and reached the nape of his neck, his eyes were blue. They smiled and returned his greeting as Bobby indicated the next boy, thinner than Bobby and Andrew; with deeply tanned skin; dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

"George Johnson, from Texas."

George shook their hands and gave them a friendly smile. "Pleasure to meet ya."

Bobby turned to the final boy. "Finally, Lester Carter from Georgia."

Lester nodded and greeted them happily; he had short spiky blonde hair and green eyes and was of similar build to George.

"Nice to meet you, glad Bobby's managed to make some new friends now."

They returned the greetings and soon joined the group; once they sat down Lester turned his gaze to Sam.

"So Bobby, this is your girlfriend?" He asked.

Bobby nodded. "Dat's right, dis is Sam."

Sam smiled and nodded to them. "Hey." She greeted casually.

Andrew laughed.

"'Bout time ya got a girlfriend, man." He said. "We're righ' happy for da both of ya."

George and Lester nodded in agreement; Sam laughed and squeezed Bobby's hand, he replied, also laughing. The others smiled and soon the birthday party got under way.

As the party wore on Carly, Freddie, Sam and Spencer found themselves taking an even greater liking to Bobby's friends. They were energetic and cheerful and always ready with a joke or quip to make a happy situation even better. It was now late at night, they had already done the Birthday cake and now some of Bobby's friends were singing; a few of them were drunk. Remy and Abby, trusting them to be careful, had left to go for a romantic meal together after the cake. The parents of Bobby's friends, who owned the cars outside, had also left, claiming they would be back when the party was over to pick their children up.

"C'mon Bobby!" Andrew cried out. "It's your eighteenth, let's 'ave a drinkin' game, c'mon."

Bobby bit his lip, slightly worried, but then made up his mind. "Sure, let's do it, ah'm in."

He joined the rest of his friends; then, surprising the others, Sam joined them.

"Count me in too." She said before smirking. "I bet I can outdrink all of you."

They all laughed and Lester then remarked. "You've got spirit Sam; can't wait to see you back it up with action."

"Uh, Sam…?" Carly began, slightly worried. Sam however shook her head.

"It's fine Carls, I can handle this."

So the drinking game began, while Spencer watched, amused. Carly sat on Freddie's lap and he wrapped his arms around her. He could understand Carly's concern; but was keen to put it to rest.

"It's okay Carls; Sam can take care of herself remember." He told her gently.

Carly sighed, smiled and nodded in agreement before kissing Freddie.

A few hours later the party was winding down, the drinking game had ended and in the confusion Carly noticed Sam was no longer with the group.

"Hey, where's Sam?"

Lester shook his head. "I'm sure she's fine." He slurred. "Saw her leave with Bobby…So long as there together, shouldn't be a problem."

Carly bit her lip, worried. However Freddie gently rubbed her arm. "He's right Carls; no matter how drunk he is; Bobby won't let anything bad happen to Sam. Besides, it's time we headed home, I'm sure she'll be alright."

Carly nodded and, reluctantly, joined Freddie and Spencer as they drove home. They finally arrived home and made their way up to their apartments, they then parted at their doorways, Freddie kissing Carly goodnight. He entered his old apartment; the new one in which he lived was getting repaired so he had to move back into apartment 8D. When he entered he found his mother; he knew she would be up late. She had become less overprotective lately so he knew the real reason she was staying up late was to watch a late night showing of her favourite film on TV.

"So how was the party?" She asked as he came in. "Did you have a good time?"

Freddie nodded. "Yeah, it was good; we met some of Bobby's old friends."

He told them about them and the party itself, she smiled and listened, they talked a little more and finally Freddie headed for bed.

Sam groaned as she threw up into the toilet; her head was pounding; it was the worst hangover she had ever experienced. Bobby was also suffering a hangover and was trying to overcome it in the shower.

"Sam." He said finally, his voice raw.

"Yeah." She groaned in reply.

"Let's never drink like that again." He said before adding. "Also, let's keep quiet about what happened, okay?"

She agreed; it was already too awkward, no need to make it more so. Finally, once properly dressed Sam was able to sneak out of the Duke's house and get home; once her hangover calmed down she knew she would feel better and be able to enjoy the day. It had been a fun party and it had been good to meet Bobby's friends. She wondered what would happen now in the future for them, now they were all approaching eighteen, Carly was the only one still to go after all.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	2. iAdopt

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 2 of my iCarly story, enjoy :)

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, here you go :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

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**iAdopt**

Carly smiled, it was July and a perfect summer day, the sun shone brightly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She was looking forward to spending more time with Freddie, Sam and Bobby. They had plenty of free time now as it was the Summer Vacation. Once dressed she headed downstairs; wondering what she and the others could do today. However it was then something happened which changed everything forever. The phone rang; Carly was surprised, she wasn't expecting any call; she answered it quickly.

"Hello?" She asked cautiously.

It took her a few moments to recognize the small broken voice that answered. "Carly…"

"Paige?" She gasped. Paige Summers was a nine year old girl Carly had befriended after rescuing Paige's younger sister Rachel, a baby of only a few months at the time; from a kidnapping.

Carly was surprised; she knew Paige to be bright, cheerful and energetic nearly all the time; it was strange to hear her like this, she wondered what was going on.

"Is…Is something wrong?" Carly asked.

Paige stammered a few times before finally replying. "Mom and dad, they…they went out for their anniversary and…and, there was a car accident and they didn't…they…"

Paige broke into tears and that confirmed what Carly feared; Paige and Rachel's parents, John and Annie Summers; had died in the car accident.

"Oh Paige." She choked out; sorrow choking her words. "Did…Was Rachel…?"

"Rach is with me…We're at the social services office, please, I need your help Carly; please."

She was surprised by this; wondering why Paige sounded so desperate; still she agreed and they finally hung up. Carly quickly called Spencer and told him what happened and how she needed a lift to social services, Spencer agreed and they hurried there.

Carly almost didn't wait for Spencer to stop the car when they arrived at the social services building. Once they arrived she hurried inside, Spencer just behind her. They approached the desk and Carly spoke to the woman sitting there.

"I'm here to see Paige and Rachel Summers." She said desperately.

The woman looked at her, slightly suspicious. "Are you a relative?"

Carly shook her head. "Not quite; but Paige called me and asked me to come."

The woman's eye's widened in recognition.

"Oh, you must be Carly Shay; they're with Miss Henson; down the corridor, last room on the left."

Carly thanked the woman and hurried down the corridor, Spencer at her heels. She stopped at the last door on the left; she looked through the glass pane in the door. She saw Paige and her heart broke for the poor girl. She sat huddled in her chair; her shoulder length blonde hair was tangled and looked lifeless, her brown eyes filled with tears and she cradled Rachel; who had brown hair and eyes. Paige desperately clung to her sister, the last lifeline to her old family. Sitting opposite Paige a woman of medium height with shoulder length black hair and eyes; dressed in a business suit. Carly knocked on the door and entered. The woman looked up.

"Yes?" She asked; curious at their arrival. "Can I help you?"

"Carly." Paige gasped as she stood up; Carly slowly approached the young girl.

Rachel then smiled and reached for Carly. "Cawly-mama!"

Carly took the girl and cradled her; turning to the woman.

The woman observed Carly carefully.

"You must be Carly Shay." She commented. "Paige said you would be coming…You would be?"

She turned to Spencer as she asked the last question. Spencer introduced himself and the woman nodded.

"I see, I'm Miss Henson; Paige and Rachel's social worker." She explained. "Well Mr. Shay, I think we should give them a moment alone."

Spencer agreed and Miss Henson nodded and they both left the room. Once alone Carly shifted Rachel to her right arm and hugged Paige with her left; Paige burst into tears.

"I want my mom and dad." The young girl sobbed; Carly did her best to comfort her.

Finally, once Paige calmed down, her cries reducing to dry sobs. Finally Carly decided it was time to get to the point.

"Paige, why did you call me here, what's so important?" She asked.

Paige let out a shuddering breath. "With mom and dad…gone, there's, we only have one living relative, but it's my uncle Josh." She then became panicked. "But I can't go with him Carly, please, I can't…"

Carly was shocked at this. "What, Paige, he's your uncle, you can't…Why wouldn't you want to go to him?"

Paige began to tremble and Carly felt she was about to be told something really terrible.

Finally Paige seemed to gather her courage and spoke; her voice shaking.

"I…it happened when, when I was staying with Uncle Josh when Rachel was born…He, he came to my room during the night and…and…he put his hand under my shirt and…he…"

She choked and burst into tears again. Carly hugged her, horrified.

Rachel looked sadly at her sister. "Paige sad."

Carly did her best to reassure both girls; still horrified by this; she couldn't believe it, Paige had been molested by her uncle, based on the way she was speaking that was only the first time, there had been more.

However Carly knew there was one serious problem. "Paige, I want to help but…without any proof, there's not much I can do."

Paige pulled away from Carly and smiled grimly, a bit too grim for a nine year old girl. She then produced something from her bag, a video camera.

"I've got proof." She said. "It's on that. I was staying with him when mom and dad…When it happened. I set it up to catch him in the act; he never noticed."

Carly let Paige hold Rachel again as she turned the video camera on and watched the footage it had captured. She watched horrified as it showed Josh clearly trying to molest Paige; when Paige resisted Josh punched her in the stomach. Carly gently pulled Paige's T-shirt up and saw the bruise. She continued to watch until the footage ended; showing Josh leaving only when the phone call that was undoubtedly about John and Annie's death came.

Carly swallowed and then shut the camera and put it in her bag, she turned to Paige.

"Okay, Paige listen, I'll help you, this video will be a great help, Freddie can prove it's real…I need you to try and ensure, no matter what happens, your uncle can't finish the adoption process yet, just try to delay until I return, okay."

Paige nodded and Carly hugged her and Rachel before leaving and returning to the apartment with Spencer. When she arrived she found Sam, Freddie and Bobby waiting for her.

"Carls, where have you been?" Sam asked, confused.

Carly fought hard to keep calm as she explained about everything that had happened. The news of John and Annie's death saddened all of them, yet they were confused about Carly's vehemence of not letting Paige and Rachel go to their uncle. As proof of why it was a bad idea, she showed them the video. She then spoke to the others about her plan. They all agreed it was their best option and immediately got to work trying to ensure that everything would hopefully work out. Finally, once they had everything prepared, Carly and Freddie rode with Spencer back to the social service's office. Carly prayed they weren't too late.

When they entered however the woman at the desk told them that Mr. Summers had arrived and was in the process of finalizing the adoption process. They hurried through and Carly saw Josh Summers sitting there; a tall man with short black hair, black eyes and a black beard and moustache, muscular with a slight beer belly. He was scowling as he looked through the paperwork in his hands; Paige sat nearby, cradling Rachel, looking smug. Carly realized what Paige had done; she had hidden a crucial form, to severely delay Josh's attempts to adopt them. Carly hurried into the office.

"Stop!" She cried.

They all looked up, Josh glared, Paige looked relieved and Miss Henson narrowed her eyes.

"Miss Shay, I understand you care for the girls, but we're busy, Mr. Summers is trying to find a missing form…"

Carly cut across her; desperate to get her point across. "You can't let him take them, he's sexually abusive, he's molested Paige at least twice already."

Miss Henson looked shocked now as Josh glared deeper.

"That's a dangerous accusation Miss Shay, you better have proof…"

"Here." Carly stated, handing Miss Henson the video camera. "That should be all the proof you need."

Miss Henson took the camera and watched the footage; Josh looked outraged when he recognized the camera. Miss Henson's eyes widened as she watched the footage. When it finished she turned her gaze to Josh and glared.

Finally she spoke, her voice severe.

"So, this is why you wanted to adopt the girls."

Josh shook his head. "It's obviously fake…"

Freddie cut across him angrily. "It's not, I've checked it, it's real…there's no odd background noises; no unusual speech patterns, lighting problems. It's as fake as Carly is ugly, not at all."

Carly blushed at that but her anger grew as she glared at Josh.

"You did that to your niece, your nine year old niece."

Josh finally turned his glare at Paige.

"That's the video camera I got you for Christmas." He growled. "You set me up, you ungrateful bitch!"

With that he attempted to attack Paige. Carly screamed and pulled Paige into her arms, blocking her from Josh; not caring about getting hurt, only caring about protecting Paige and Rachel. Miss Henson screamed as Carly heard the sound of a fist hitting flesh, but she felt no pain. She turned and gaped at what she saw. Freddie had knocked out a full grown man in one punch; even he seemed surprised. After Josh was taken away by security Carly sat bouncing a giggling Rachel on her knee while Freddie consoled a shaken Paige. Miss Henson returned to the office and took her seat; both teenagers looked at her carefully.

Miss Henson sighed sadly.

"Well, this has been most dramatic; but, without Mr. Summers to adopt them, I'm afraid the girls will have to go to an orphanage."

At that Paige burst into tears and, sensing her sister's distress, Rachel cried too. That was enough to make Carly's decision for her. She cleared her throat.

"Miss Henson." She said softly. "I know I'm not eighteen yet and can't officially adopt, but I was wondering if I can claim guardianship of the girls until I'm eighteen and then officially adopt them."

Miss Henson pondered for a moment and then finally spoke again. "It is unusual but, so long as I can guarantee they're going to a stable home…I don't see any reason to refuse. There's already a bond between the two of you and the girls and I know you are trustworthy. Rachel confirmed that when she saw you, she already sees you as a mother and a baby's judgement is the most honest you'll find sometimes."

Carly and Freddie explained about how they had already secured jobs and also about how Carly owned a watch with a diamond encrusted bezel that belonged to her great-grandmother and was worth $82,000. Miss Henson seemed to accept this and while the paperwork would take some time she allowed Carly and Freddie to take the girls home with them tonight so they would have somewhere secure to sleep tonight. Carly agreed and turned to Paige.

"Does that sound okay to you Paige?" She asked.

Paige nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I think…I think mom and dad would like that."

Satisfied with that Carly swore she would do what she could to ensure Paige and Rachel had a safe and secure home to live in now, following their great loss.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	3. iFeel Funny

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 3 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Actually you do, I've known people who didn't and their stories got taken down. I'm playing it safe.  
PD31: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, they are. Well, here's your answer :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, here you go.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

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**iFeel Funny**

Carly smiled as she finished work for the day. She had to admit working for T-Bo was weird sometimes, but mostly fun. It had been a month since Paige and Rachel had moved in with her. Carly sighed as she thought about that, she was now their legal guardian; it had been difficult at first but Rachel seemed to settle in well, staying with Carly beforehand definitely helped with that. Paige was a different story, haunted by her parent's untimely deaths and her uncle's sexual abuse; the poor girl had nightmares every night. The trouble was Paige seemed intent on bottling up her feelings, despite Carly's attempts to try and help her. She did everything she could to comfort the poor girl; but sometimes it seemed only holding her sister could calm Paige down, other times she went to Freddie for comfort. The one solace Paige seemed to find was her conviction in nobody hurting her like her Uncle ever again. To that end Sam had begun teaching Paige how to fight to protect herself. Carly sighed again; Sam, that was the other issue. She had changed lately, had become paler and tended to throw up a lot. She tried to claim it was nothing but Carly couldn't take the risk if she was sick. She didn't want to have to keep Sam from coming to the apartment in case Paige and Rachel got sick, especially since Sam's mom seemed to have become more forgetful with the food. So, at Carly's insistence, Sam had gone to the doctor.

Carly had only just stepped outside when her phone rang.

She answered it quickly. "Hello?"

"Carls." Carly recognized the voice on the other end and smiled.

"Hey Sam; are you finished with the doctor, I've just left work, I can meet you at the jerky shop…"

Sam however cut across her. "Actually, Carls, could we meet up at the park instead."

That surprised Carly, Sam never refused a chance to get meat; then again, it had been the smell of the meat cooking that set her off puking this morning.

"Uh, sure." She replied. "Did the doctor say you need plenty of fresh air or something?"

"Something like that." Sam replied flatly.

Still confused Carly hung up and headed to the park. Finally she arrived at the park and spotted Sam right away; she looked rather pale and sat on a bench, looking nervous. Whenever any of the kids playing in the park ran past she would look even more nervous. Carly smiled lightly at that, Sam always claimed to be bad with kids, but Carly felt that wasn't strictly true. Paige practically idolized her and Rachel tried to follow Sam everywhere whenever Sam was at the apartment. Carly walked over and Sam saw her, she smiled, although she still looked nervous, and moved over a bit, Carly sat down on the bench next to her.

Finally, after some awkward silence Carly turned to Sam.

"So Sam, how did things go at the doctors?" She asked curiously.

Sam shifted awkwardly in her seat. "Uh, yeah, about that…"

She trailed off and Carly was shocked to see a lone tear slide down Sam's cheek.

She swallowed nervously and spoke up again. "Sam, what's wrong, you're scaring me…Did the doctor say it was something bad, like…like you can't have kids or something?"

Sam laughed mirthlessly and shook her head. "It's just the opposite in fact…I…I'm pregnant Carly."

Carly stared, shocked as Sam continued to explain.

"Eight weeks."

That caused Carly to recover as she realized. "Eight weeks, so around…?"

"It was on Bobby's birthday…it's his…" Sam clarified before breaking down. "What…What am I gonna do Carly, I can't…I don't know…"

Carly bit her lip, Sam needed her help, she would ensure that, no matter what, she would ensure Sam got the help she needed.

"Have you told Bobby yet?" She asked, Sam shook her head. "Then I think you should, c'mon, I'll be there for you."  
Sam smiled and nodded, grateful to have a friend like Carly; they got up from the bench and headed off to the Shay's apartment.

It was there during dinner that Sam found her chance to speak to Bobby. They were having Spencer's famous spaghetti tacos; luckily this didn't make Sam want to throw up. Eventually Rachel began crying due to a wet diaper and Paige volunteered to change her. Once they left Carly gave Sam a meaningful look; she took a deep breath and turned to Bobby.

"Hey, Bobby, I…I need to talk to you."

He looked at her worried. "Did somet'ing 'appen at de doctor's cher?"

"I'm not…sick if that's what you mean." She explained.

Bobby smiled and nodded.

"Good, Ah was worried it mi' be somet'ing serious…"

"It is serious." She said, cutting across him. "I…What happened at your birthday, what we did…I'm pregnant."

She watched as Bobby's eyes widened and he just stared at her, clearly trying to process what he had just been told. Sam tried desperately to keep the tears back, but she knew they would soon spill.

'_This is it…'_ She thought sadly. _'He's going to hate me now, for ruining his life; he's going to leave me.'_

But to her surprised, instead of looking angry, or running away, Bobby embraced her.

"Ah'm so sorry cher, ah'm 'ere." He whispered quietly. "Ah promise."

She was shocked by this and also overjoyed that she burst into tears; Bobby continued to hold her and they stayed like that for some time. Finally they parted and Sam calmed down.

It was then Freddie asked the important question.

"Sam, what are you gonna do?"

Sam was quiet for a moment and then sighed. "I'm keeping it…I just…I can't just, it's got a little bit of me in it and a little bit of Bobby too, I can't just get rid of it."

Bobby smiled and kissed her. Carly however was concerned.

"It's not gonna be easy Sam." She said seriously. "Like you said when I looked after Rach, a baby's a lot of work, you…you do realize you're gonna have to grow up real fast now, mature."

Sam nodded. "Yes I know, I'll do it too." She said with deep conviction; she knew people would have their doubts, given what they knew about her, but she swore she would do what she had to do for her baby. Bobby did his best to reassure her.

"Ya won' be alone Sam. Ah'll be dere, an' you'll 'ave help, right?" He said, looking at the others as he said the last part.

They all nodded smiling.

"Of course." Carly said, speaking for all of them.

Freddie nodded in agreement and added. "That's what friends do after all."

Sam smiled; it was true, things had really changed now and Sam and Freddie actually did consider each other friends.

"Thanks; you guys." Sam said grateful that she would have so much help.

That night Sam lay on her bed; looking down at her still flat stomach. It was hard to believe that there was a new life growing in there. Suddenly she was jolted from her thoughts by her mother screaming her name. She groaned, she didn't want to have to deal with this right now. She dragged herself out of bed and headed through to the living room, there her mother stood, looking furious.

"What?" Sam asked sullenly.

Her mother then held out her hand. "Care to explain this?"

Sam gulped, it was the pregnancy test she had taking, praying for the small off-chance that the doctor was wrong, he wasn't, the pink plus still showed clearly on it.

"Yeah, it's mine, so what?"

"You let yourself get knocked up with some bastard child by that inbred Southern scum, you little slut!" Pam shrieked.

Sam's temper exploded. "Don't you dare talk about Bobby like that, and me, a slut? You were too busy whoring around to go to hospital so you had me and Melanie on that bus!"

"How dare you…?!"

Sam smirked vindictively. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Sam staggered back, her hand against her cheek where she had just been slapped.

Pam glared at her daughter, beyond furious. "Out, get out!"

Sam gasped, horrified, but it turned out her mother was serious and next thing she knew she was kicked out of the house.

Sam was terrified, she was stuck, walking the streets; it was dark. All it would take is one attack to kill the baby growing inside her. She wondered fretfully where she could go, what she could do. She never imagined her mother would actually throw her out, but here she was, faced with the grim truth. It was quite a few hours later that Sam found herself knocking on the door to the Duke's home. The door was answered by a tousle-haired bleary eyed Bobby.

"Sam?" He queried, confused by her arrival at this time.

She burst into tears and hugged him, knocking him to the ground as she clutched at his pyjama shirt.

"My…My mom knows." She choked out. "She threw me out."

"Wha?" Bobby gaped as he finally recovered enough to help Sam stand up, close the door and hug her back.

They then heard his parents calling and knew it was time to tell the truth. Bobby guided Sam through and they sat down; explaining the truth to his parents. As they did so Sam noted it was nearly five in the morning and couldn't believe she was going to ruin the Duke's day so early. Sure enough when they finished his parents were angry.

"Get out!" Abby yelled. "Get out ya little witch, 'ow dare ya do dis to our family!"

"Mom!" Bobby yelled angrily but his father cut across him.

"Ah'm not lettin' ya ruin your life Bobby!"

Bobby glowered and shook his head. "Tough, if Sam goes, ah'm goin'…Ya always taught me Pop, dat ah always need to take responsibility and dat _familie_ comes firs'. Well Pop, dis is a bit of both."

Then, without a backwards glance at his parents he guided Sam out of the house and away.

Once again Sam found herself wandering the streets, only now Bobby was with her. Before long he sat her down on a park bench, sitting next to her. She realized it was the same bench where, just yesterday, she told Carly she was pregnant. They sat in silence for a while then Bobby hugged her.

"I'm sorry Bobby." She said softly. "I've ruined your life, tore you away from your family."

Bobby shook his head. "Not true Sam, you're part o' ma family, an' you've not ruined ma life, ah can assure ya of dat."

Sam smiled, wondering what she had done to deserve someone like Bobby. Finally she sighed. "What are we gonna do?"

Bobby didn't answer right away, neither of them actually knew. It wasn't until eight in the morning they found themselves at Carly's door. Sam guessed she would end up here but was worried; there was a big difference after all between simply mooching food off someone and asking to stay. The door was answered by Paige.

"Hi." She greeted cheerfully.

They both returned the greeting and stepped in as Paige returned to the kitchen table to finish her breakfast. Carly turned to them, switching the cooker off as she did so.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here so early and uh…Why are you both still in your pyjamas?"

Sam sighed; it was going to be a long explanation.

When they finished Carly gasped and hugged them both.

"Oh you guys I'm so sorry. Don't worry, there's still plenty of room here, we'll clear out one of the other spare rooms."

Sam was surprised. "You mean it Carls, we can stay?"

"Of course you can." Carly confirmed.

Sam smiled, relieved, she could definitely say now, without a doubt, that she was truly lucky to have a friend like Carly.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	4. iDeal with Changes

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Next chapter of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, she does :)  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iDeal with Changes**

It was almost September; the atmosphere of summer vacation was winding down, teenagers were now facing the prospect of going back to school. For Sam that prospect was terrifying, given recent events. She found herself worried how people would react to discovering she was pregnant. Especially since now, she was starting to show. She was currently sitting on the sofa in the Shay apartment, having just finished her dinner. She looked down at the swell of her stomach and groaned; in addition to her swollen stomach her back ached, she needed help getting in and out of chairs and her feet felt like they were three sizes too big. But all the physical pain paled in comparison to the strong feelings of self-doubt Sam felt. She knew she would have to mature and grow up, a lot, but even so, she was still afraid.

'_What if I do something wrong?'_ She thought worriedly. _'What if I hurt the baby or…or…'_

She turned her gaze over to the computer where Carly sat; she was busy enrolling Paige at Ridgewater Elementary. Finally, unable to bear it any longer Sam spoke up.

"Carls." She said; shocked at how shaky her voice sounded. "Do you think I can do it?"

Carly turned to face her friend. "Do what?"

Sam gestured down at her stomach. "Be a mother."

Carly smiled sympathetically, she knew about Sam's doubts.

Carly stood up and walked over to sit next to Sam.

"Of course you will, you just need practice, that's all." She reassured Sam

Sam bit her lip. "Practice, practice at what exactly?"

Carly thought for a moment then explained. "Cleaning, cooking, diaper changing."

"You're just trying to find someone else to change Rachel." Sam accused playfully.

Carly laughed in response as did Sam before she sighed.

"I don't know Carls…I mean, cooking's not exactly a good idea, what if I…What if I screw up, I don't wanna be responsible for giving you, Spencer and the girl's food poisoning."

Carly shook her head. "That won't happen; I'll be there to keep an eye on you. You can do this Sam, I know you can."

Sam nodded, but she wasn't completely convinced. Carly returned to Paige's enrolment as the door opened and Freddie and Bobby entered. They both smiled and walked over to their respective girlfriends and kissed them.

"Hey Carls." Freddie greeted. "How's everything going?"

Carly smiled. "Pretty good Freddie, nearly done with the enrolment."

Freddie nodded, smiling while Bobby sat next to Sam and gently put a hand on her stomach.

"'Ow ya both doin'?" He asked.

Sam smiled. "We're fine."

It was then Paige entered the room with Rachel, the little girl was crying and the smell told them why. Carly gave Sam a look and she sighed and went to get to work.

The following day Carly, Freddie and Paige were driving to Ridgeway Elementary to meet Paige's teacher and to get her acquainted with the school. Once they arrived and parked they headed for the classroom. Paige was smiling, excited. Carly was smiling as she thought about Sam changing Rachel's diaper yesterday and this morning, under Carly's careful supervision, she made breakfast. It had gone well; Sam could do all these things, it was just a confidence problem. Finally they arrived at the classroom and knocked on the door. The door was answered by a middle-aged man in a dark suit.

"Hello, I'm Carly Shay, this is Freddie Benson." Carly greeted him. "We're here to finish enrolling our adopted daughter, Paige."

The man nodded, smiling. "Ah yes, I've been expecting you, Mr. Henderson, nice to meet you all."

They shook hands and he began by taking them on a tour. The tour and subsequent enrolment process took some time. During that time Paige got to know her way around the school and seemed to become happier and more comfortable. They had allowed her to play on the jungle gym in the school yard while they finished the enrolment. Finally, once everything was done they picked Paige up and headed home; once there they found Spencer and Bobby sitting watching as Sam gently cradled Rachel. Rachel raised her hand in an almost wave as she saw them come in.

"Hey Rach." Paige greeted her sister cheerfully.

Sam smiled as she continued to rock the little girl. Rachel yawned and mumbled. "Sweepy."

They all smiled as Rachel slowly drifted off to sleep and Sam went to put her in her crib. Carly smiled, Sam was doing so well; she just needed to keep at it and eventually, it should all work out.

Finally the day came, Carly, Freddie, Sam and Bobby would be returning to school, Paige would be starting her first day at Ridgeway Elementary. Paige was the first one awake, rather early, but that didn't stop her from waking Carly up. Carly didn't mind, she was happy to see Paige so excited. They got to work on breakfast and finally, at a more respectful time Paige went to get Rachel while Carly went to wake up Sam and Bobby. Carly found Bobby already awake but Sam refused to get up.

"C'mon Sam." Carly begged but still Sam refused to get up.

Bobby sighed. "Cher, we gotta go ta school."

Sam groaned but managed to get out of bed. "I'm up now, happy…oh god."

She suddenly lurched into the toilet as the morning sickness struck. Bobby went to try and help her while Carly returned to the kitchen where Spencer and Freddie had joined them. Bobby arrived some time later and informed them that Sam would be missing breakfast, afraid she would just bring it up again. Carly sighed but agreed and finally, when it was time they headed out to their cars; Bobby drove Sam to school while Carly and Freddie drove Paige to her school. Paige had been excited and talkative all morning but as they drew nearer the implication of starting a new school, meeting new people hit her and she became quieter.

Carly looked back at her, concerned. "Paige, is everything okay?"

Paige fumbled with her words but then managed to speak. "What if…nobody likes me?"

Carly smiled reassuringly. "They'll love you, there's nothing to worry about."

They continued to reassure her and when Paige left the car and headed into school, she was feeling a little more confident.

When Carly and Freddie arrived at school they found Sam and Bobby still at his car, they hadn't even gone in yet.

"C'mon cher, let's jus' get it over wi'." Bobby tried to reassure her.

Sam sighed and, when Carly and Freddie walked up she knew she couldn't delay any further and they headed into school. Almost immediately people stared and started whispering when they noticed Sam's stomach. Sam grit her teeth and tried to stay calm. Bobby kissed her and headed off to his locker, which unfortunately wasn't near hers. When she arrived at her locker however she found herself facing Wendy, the gossip queen.

"Hey guys." She greeted cheerfully before her smile turned conspiratorial. "So, I heard you had a…interesting summer."  
Sam scowled.

"Don't start Wendy." She growled. "Let me clear it up, yes I'm pregnant and yes, it's Bobby's."

"You're joking!?"

Sam turned to see who spoke and saw it was the infamous Rip-off Rodney.

"You let that hick knock you up." He said incredulously.

Sam growled. "Don't start Rodney…"

Rodney however shook his head. "I can't believe you'd do that, if it were me…"

"If it were you Rodney, de child would be better off in a 'ome." Bobby declared angrily as he approached.

Rodney wisely backed off at that point and Sam was granted a temporary reprieve.

It did not last long however; Sam faced stares and remarks all day, some from boys claiming to be the father and boasting about how they bedded Sam Puckett under Bobby's nose. Even some of the teachers got on her case about the pregnancy, particularly Miss Briggs. Wendy did her best to keep the false rumours to a minimum, by telling the truth with her gossip. Most believed her due to her usually being a reliable source of information, but others felt she was just trying to protect Sam and refused to believe her. Therefore, by lunchtime Sam was a nervous wreck; as such Carly tensed when Rodney approached them, sneering as he watched Sam.

"Well, well, the once great Sam Puckett, feeding her face for her little bastard child." He then rounded on Bobby. "How are you so sure it's yours, you know what her mother's like and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?"

Bobby glared venomously at Rodney, gripping the edge of the table tightly, but before he could do anything Sam stood up, tears in her eyes and in one punch Rodney was knocked out and Sam took off, running from the cafeteria. Bobby immediately followed her, Carly and Freddie close behind. Carly was amazed at how fast Sam could run, despite how pregnant she was and soon she and Freddie were unable to keep up, but Bobby kept after her. They stepped into a nearby empty classroom to catch their breath.

Carly groaned and shook her head.

"I can't believe Rodney said that, he knows how Sam fears being like her mom." She growled before sighing. "I just Bobby can find and help her."  
Freddie smiled. "He already has, I can see them."

Carly walked over to where Freddie was looking out the window and saw he was right. Sam was sitting on the grass verge near the parking lot; Bobby had come and sat next to her. Carly opened the window so she could hear what they said.

"Bobby…" Sam was saying, her voice pleading. "I swear I've never been with anyone like that but you…"

Bobby smiled and nodded. "Ah know, Ah believe ya."

"Why?"

"Because Ah love ya Sam, Ah love ya very much." He replied honestly.

Sam sighed. "You could do better than me."

Bobby shook his head as he hugged her. "For me, dere is no one else."

Sam finally smiled at that and they kissed. Reassured and happy at what she had seen Carly turned to Freddie to find him wearing an identical smile. They also hugged and after kissing stood with their foreheads pressed together. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until lunch ended and they left the classroom, hoping to at least make it through the rest of the day.

It was finally over; the group were returning home, luckily the rest of the school day hadn't gone as bad as the morning. Seeing what happened to Rodney had scared most of the people against Sam off; they left her alone for which she was grateful. Carly and Freddie had picked Paige up and she was talking to them excitedly about her first day and all the new friends she had managed to make. The first friend being a boy named Lloyd Sadat; he had introduced her to the others that were now her friends. Carly, Freddie and Paige walked in front while Bobby led an exhausted Sam behind them, smiling and telling her that it could be them one day. Sam smiled and kissed him as they entered the apartment and laughed at what they saw. Spencer engaged in a staring contest with Rachel, who sat in her high chair, her gaze not breaking.

"Thanks a lot guys." Spencer complained. "I could've won that."

Paige laughed. "Yeah right, no one can beat Rach at a staring contest."

Spencer just rolled his eyes as Carly picked Rachel up and Bobby helped Sam sit down. Sam thought about the day and took comfort in one thought, it could've gone a lot worse.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	5. iBelieve in You

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 5 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
PD31: Thanks, glad you liked it, well, with her emotions running high, something like that should've been expected :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iBelieve in You**

It was dinner time in apartment 8C, under Carly's careful supervision, Sam worked on making the dinner. Bobby sat nearby watching them, smiling. Freddie sat on the sofa, watching over Paige and Rachel as the two girls played together. Spencer was busy in his room working on another art project. Sam was smiling lightly, the second day back at school hadn't been so bad, not compared to the first, she guessed with each passing day the novelty of her being pregnant would wear down and gradually most would start to leave her alone.

'_Of course there will always be one or two idiots.' _She thought bitterly.

Finally the dinner was ready and they ate, Sam was not eating the same as everyone else though. She was eating a bowl of Bobby's home-made gumbo which she had developed cravings for.

"So Sam, how are you feeling?" Carly asked. "I think you're doing a great job after all."

Sam shifted awkwardly in her seat. "I…I guess."

Carly smiled but inwardly she sighed, Sam was still having confidence issues. They had finished their dinner when suddenly there was a knock at the door, Freddie got up to answer it. When he opened the door he nearly fell over, as standing there, smiling warmly in greeting, was Melanie Puckett.

Melanie continued to smile, even as she noticed Freddie's shocked expression.

"Hey Freddie, is Sam here?"

Freddie nodded, still in shock and stepped back, letting her in.

"I um…I…" Freddie stammered, clearly trying to find the right words.

Melanie just shook her head. "Sam told me how she said it was trick; guess this came as a surprise."

Freddie nodded; it was then Carly and Sam came over.

"Who was it Freddie…" Carly begun but stopped and smiled when she saw Melanie. "Oh, hi Melanie."

Melanie smiled wider. "Hey Carly…" Her expression became more serious as she approached her twin sister. "Sam…"

Sam nodded tensely. "Melanie, guess you heard from mom what happened."

Melanie nodded slowly and then admitted.

"Mom kicked me out…Because I supported your choice to keep the baby."

"Wait, what?" Sam gasped.

"She told me about you and Bobby." Melanie continued. "I disagreed with her on that too. When she realized I was your side she lost it; said I was a major disappointment, that she thought better of me and threw me out."

Sam gasped, she never imagined her mother would do something like that, not to her favourite daughter. The others watched as Sam actually hugged her twin.

"I'm sorry Mels, this shouldn't have happened." She whispered. "You didn't have to argue with mom because of me."

Melanie however returned the hug and whispered back. "Yes, I did, you're my sister. I know you may have doubts Sam, but trust me, you'll be a great mom."

Hearing it from Melanie didn't completely reassure Sam, but it did help make her feel better about her chances.

Later that night, Sam was sitting on the sofa, with Melanie sitting next to her. Carly and Freddie were upstairs, trying to get Rachel to sleep. Paige had gone to bed while Bobby and Spencer worked on cleaning up the dishes. After a moment of silence Sam finally spoke up.

"Melanie, do you really think I can do it? Be a mother?"

Melanie smiled and nodded. "Of course you can Sam."

Sam however bit her lip. "But what if I end up like mom, you know how she is…That's the only example of parenting I have."

Melanie sighed; Sam was right about their mother being Sam's only example of parenting; but still, she was looking at it the wrong way.

"You have to trust me Sam; besides, mom's actually given you a good example of parenting, by showing you what not to do."

That drew a laugh from Sam; she suddenly felt grateful for Melanie being here. She was relieved Melanie's school at least had one more week of vacation time and that Melanie planned to stay and help her. There was a pause before Melanie spoke again.

"So, I've missed quite a bit, who are these girls living with Carly now?"

Sam smiled and began to explain about Paige and Rachel and everything that had happened with them.

Melanie gasped when Sam finished.

"Wow, so Carly's…"

Sam nodded. "In love with Freddie and adopted the two girls, yeah."

Melanie looked thoughtful as she mulled over what Sam had told her.

Finally Melanie sighed.

"It must've been so hard on those girls." She said sadly. "Losing their parents like that."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's not the worst of it, their only living relative is their uncle and the guys a paedophile; Paige was his main victim."

Melanie looked horrified; however she relaxed as Sam continued.

"Carly and Freddie exposed the truth and have now taken guardianship of the girls, at least until they're both eighteen, then they can officially adopt."

Melanie nodded, relieved. While she thought about it, she didn't properly meet Paige and Rachel until the following day. She was in the apartment, eating breakfast when Paige came down, carrying Rachel.

"Oh, hi." Paige said, surprised to see her. "So, you're…Aunt Sam's sister?"

Melanie nodded. "That's right, she told me about the two of you, it's Paige, right?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah, this is Rachel."

Rachel however hid her face in Paige's neck and peeked out at Melanie. Paige smiled. "She's a little shy." She explained before speaking to her sister. "It's okay Rach."

Finally the little girl pulled her head and shyly greeted Melanie. Soon everybody else began to arrive and, with Melanie agreeing to help look after Rachel they all headed out to school. The day passed relatively normally for them all, Sam was relieved to see that already some of the novelty of her pregnancy was dying down, not as many people approached her with remarks about it this time.

When they arrived home however Carly was surprised to see Paige wasn't alone. With her was a boy the same age as her of Egyptian descent with short black hair and black eyes, he was slightly taller than Paige and seemed rather friendly, especially when he smiled.

"Paige?" Carly asked. "Who is this?"

Paige smiled and introduced the boy. "This is Lloyd Sadat, I told you about him remember."

Carly smiled and nodded; she remembered how, after her first day Paige had told her about becoming friends with a boy named Lloyd and how Lloyd had introduced her to others who were now her friends.

Lloyd smiled. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

Carly smiled back.

"Nice to meet you too."

They soon all got to talking; Lloyd recognized Carly, Sam and Freddie from iCarly, the web show was now on indefinite hiatus due to Sam's pregnancy and Carly's responsibilities regarding Paige and Rachel. He recognized Spencer too from his infrequent appearances on the show, he was also introduced to Bobby and Melanie. It was then Rachel spoke up, surprising them all by trying to say Lloyd's name, although she didn't quiet manage it. They all smiled however and Paige kissed her little sister's forehead. Lloyd smiled wider and they continued to talk; all of them noting, to their relief that Lloyd would definitely be a good friend for Paige, especially with everything she was going through.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	6. iSay Goodbye

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 6 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yes, well, it's not all joyful, as this chapter proves.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iSay Goodbye**

Paige Benson stared blankly out the window of her bedroom as she toyed thoughtlessly with the hem of her black dress; today was, without a doubt, the worst day of her life. The October sky was a dull, overcast grey that made everything bleaker, and it fit her mood perfectly. Her heart was aching as she thought of what today truly was: her parents – her _real _parents' – funeral. Paige loved being with Carly and Freddie and everyone else, but...she yearned for her real parents. She wished that the Shay's apartment was a temporary home while her parents went on a trip. Her wishes were completely ignored.

Paige felt her tears prick her eyes, and she willed herself not to cry. She had to be strong, she told herself. She just had to. She didn't know _why _she had to, but it was the first thing her mind kept telling her. But, it was so _hard_ and she was so ready to break.

There was a knock at the door.

"Y-Yeah?" She asked hesitantly, her lip quivering.

The door slowly opened and a sombre looking Carly walked in. She was wearing a long black dress that even now made her look beautiful, if not a heart achingly sad one.

"Are you ready?" She asked softly.

Paige nodded unable to speak.

Carly took Paige's small hand into her own, and the two walked quietly downstairs.

On the couch, in a black funeral suit, was Freddie holding a sniffling Rachel like she almost understood the significance of the diluted atmosphere. Rachel had started calling Carly and Freddie simply 'Mama' and 'Dada' now, and in a way, Paige felt she betrayed her parents for doing so. It was completely irrational, she knew, but she felt troubled how easily her little sister seemed to forget their _real _parents.

Uncle Spencer and Grandma Benson were there as well, dressed in black and hard faced. Paige was happy that they were going since she wasn't quite sure she could handle being at a funeral for her parents with her new ones alone. A part of her felt as if she was betraying her parents by showing how easily they substituted them.

Unfortunately, her Aunt Sam and Uncle Bobby wouldn't be attending. Aunt Sam had gotten really big now and was having a hard time getting up and down, so church pews were the last place she wanted to be seated. She had been hurt last night when Aunt Sam had regretfully told her she wouldn't be coming, and she wouldn't speak to her for the rest of the night. It wasn't until her Uncle Bobby explained that she was suffering back problems and many other issues that come with having babies that she accepted it, and she wasn't even that mad when her Uncle Bobby told her he was going to stay behind to take care of Sam.

Aunt Sam was sitting in the kitchen with a bowl of Uncle Bobby's homemade gumbo that she craved a lot nowadays, but she wasn't eating. "I'm sorry I can't come," Aunt Sam whispered regretfully.

Paige shook her head. "It's okay, I understand."

Aunt Sam smiled a little and opened her arms. "C'mere, Kid," she said and Paige walked into her arms. "You're a very strong girl, Paige. You'll make it through this, okay?"

Paige nodded, holding back tears. "Thanks, Aunt Sam," she choked out and ignored the look of hurt and jealousy that flashed across Carly's face for a second before being replaced by a tender smile.

She knew what Carly wanted her to call her (after all, how could she _not_?), but she just wasn't ready for that. She wasn't sure she would ever be ready to either.

"We…better get going, Paige," Carly said, looking at the clock.

Paige looked up at the clock as well and realized it was nearing time for the funeral to start, so she nodded her head. Before they left however they needed to do something first; they headed to the medicine cupboard. Paige was diabetic and so required insulin shots, once done, she stepped over to Carly and recaptured her hand sadly. The group left with a small wave to Aunt Sam and Uncle Bobby before heading off to the chapel.

Paige wiped her eyes as she stood in front of the small chapel. To her, it was an immensely large building that went on for an age beyond infinity. She didn't want to go to the small service that would be for her parents. She didn't _want _to be there, but she _was_. She knew this would be the last time she'll ever see her parents again, and it made her feel a bit sick at the thought that they'll be ashes after all this. She just wanted to run from all this: the pain, the loss, the love and, most importantly, the closure of it all. But, she _couldn't_.

Paige's hand was tugged a little and she looked up at Carly's blank face. No words of encouragement or anything, just a sign that she was there when she was needed. Paige tried to smile up at her but it came off more as a grimace than anything. Still, Carly did not say a word, preferring to just silently usher her into the building.

The chapel really wasn't that much bigger or extravagant than any other; John and Annie were after all just normal people. They weren't kings and queens, the president, or whatever else there was. They were ordinary people with ordinary lives…and they were Paige's whole world.

She felt her eyes begin to prick with tears when she saw the two open caskets, together even in death. _This was it_, Paige thought. This was the last time she would see her parents and she pushed back her tears as the feeling of letting them fall grew stronger than ever; she didn't want to be blinded when she looked at their faces one last time.

She wasn't the only one sad in the room, of course. There was at least thirty other people here (family friends and co-workers since Paige didn't have any other family than her imprisoned Uncle Josh) and each one looked like they were in tears or near. Several of them had come over and offered their condolences and hugged her, but she didn't pay much attention. She couldn't seem to move her eyes away from her parents and if she was honest, she didn't want to either.

She hastily wiped at her eyes as the scene started to become hazy, and she sniffed audibly.

"Paige," Freddie said softly, handing Rachel over to Carly and bending down to wrap the girl in his strong arms.

Paige's lip trembled as she clung to him, but her eyes never wavered from her parents. "That poor girl," she heard one of her dad's co-workers say to his wife. "She's being so brave…Braver than I was at her age. This must be tearing her apart."

The wife nodded sadly. "She's a very strong girl."

Freddie moved out of the hug and grabbed her hand; the Shay and Benson family slowly moved to their seats near the front. Paige felt the eyes watching her, and she whimpered under the sympathy. Every few seconds, Freddie was squeezing her hand comfortingly, but even that didn't help her when she finally saw the faces of her parents.

They…looked peaceful. Asleep even. John was in a nice black suit and Annie in a pale blue dress with her hair down; they looked more like they were getting ready to go to a nice party than to be slowly burned away in cremation. Paige grabbed hold of a small locket around her neck; it was her mother's with a picture on each side. The first was of her parents on their wedding day, and the second was of the entire family after Rachel was returned to them. The locket had been given to her over the summer from one of the police officers; she had worn it every day since then. A sombre grey haired priest walked up to the lectern next to the coffins, and the audience grew silent. "Today is a sad for all of us. Today, we mourn for the loss of John and Annie Summers. I…I had the privilege and honour of knowing them in life. They were good people. They were kind and wise and full of life. They cared for their daughters as they should, and loved each other as they promised each other on their wedding day. They were happy and, by extension, made others happy too. All of us sitting here mourning for them is living proof of the happiness they brought into our lives."

Paige felt a warm glow in her body, and for a moment the room seemed warmer. Everyone was murmuring in agreement with the priest, herself included. Her parents were like that; they didn't like others to be unhappy. Even when they were having a hard time, they always tried to make others happy. Her Uncle Josh had mocked them for it; he called them fools and soft, and he warned that one day it might be their undoing. He was _wrong_, she realized proudly. They died in an accident and all of these people were here because they cared for them.

A teardrop fell from her eyes as she stared proudly at her parents. She could see out of the corner of her eyes that Carly, Freddie, Grandma Benson and Uncle Spencer were crying; her new family cared for them. They were kind and thoughtful and exactly the kind of people that her parents would want her to live with. The room grew warmer and warmer as people stood up after the priest to recount tales, and make speeches about her parents. Everyone seemed to have one…even Carly.

"I didn't know John and Annie long," Carly said, her make-up ruined by her tears, "but they were good to me. Their youngest, Rachel, was special to me. I found her and took care of her until they took her home. Before Rachel left she said her first word, 'mama' she had said. She had grabbed my hair as if confused. I had been worried that Annie would resent me for it. She didn't. Annie had just smiled and told me she was glad I took care of Rachel so well that she could confuse the two of us." Carly let out a small sniffle. "Now I am going to raise both of their girls, and I'll admit I'm afraid. I'm young and inexperienced, but I know love and can see it in them. I promise you both, Annie and John, that I will nurture that love as you would have, and I promise they will not forget you. I'll become a mother to them, but not as a replacement; I'll be an addition. You _will _be remembered."

Soon though, like all things, the time came. Before the cremation ceremony, however, the priest allowed everyone to walk up with one final look at the Summers. Paige's hands were ensnared by Carly and Freddie's as they stood before the caskets, strangely in the same order that John and Annie lay. Her mind flashed back over the years as she remembered various moments with her parents.

"_Mama, I love you."_

"_I love you too, Sweetie."_

"_Daddy, will you really always be there?"_

"_Of course, Sweetheart."_

"_Goodbye, Paige, see you when we get back."_

"_Goodbye."_

"Goodbye…" Paige whispered casting one last longing glance at the two most important people in her life. Slowly everyone said their final goodbyes to the good people who had lost their lives so tragically early.

"I ask now that we bow our heads in remembrance as John and Annie begin their final journey," the priest said softly.

Paige bowed her head, but kept her eyes firmly planted on the caskets. She made sure to etch their final expressions forever in her memories as the caskets were finally closed, and the cremation began. The caskets moved slowly, and as Paige watched, tears spilling from her eyes, they slid behind the curtains. It took her only a moment, but she realized it was over. They were gone.

Finally, she let her tears release in full of force as she bawled into Freddie's arm. He grabbed her, placed her on his lap, and hugged her fiercely. She cried and cried and she barely registered Carly joining in the hug. She didn't know what to do, or where to go from here. A part of her had been in denial…She knew she was going to be formally adopted by Carly and Freddie. She had taken Freddie's last name and everything, but…a part of her always felt like she was playing make believe. She didn't want to ever truly admit they weren't coming back, but now…now she had no choice.

"I want my mom and dad!" She wailed.

"You do have them," Freddie whispered, putting a hand on her chest. "In your heart." He moved his hand to her head. "In your memories." A gesture to the Shays and Bensons. "In your family." A gesture to her. "And, most importantly, you have them inside you."

"I miss them…"

"That's okay."

"Freddie…is it okay for me to move on?"

"I think they'll be happy if you did."

"Okay," Paige whispered, wiping her eyes.

After that, the group slowly peeled itself away and headed outside; they let the day's cool air calm them. Carly was rocking Rachel back and forth as she cried over something she didn't fully understand, and Uncle Spencer had run off to get the cars with Grandma Benson.

The priest approached the group. "Carly Shay? Freddie Benson?" He asked and they nodded. "I'm David Langley. I've been a friend to John and Annie for three years." He looked down, his good natured smile fading a little. "How are you doing, Paige?"

"Okay."

He nodded. "I'm glad to hear it." He looked back at Freddie and Carly. "I must admit that I am quite grateful for what you are doing for their children. I heard about the incident with Josh."

Paige shuddered and Freddie got a particularly nasty look on his face. "Disgusting man," Carly spat bitterly. "How someone could do that to their own niece is…disturbing." She shook her head. "I couldn't let them go to an orphanage either though. They would have ended up separated, and all they had were each other. I couldn't do that to them."

"You are good people," David said kindly. "The kind of people that I know John and Annie would have approved of. If you ever need _anything _don't hesitate to call me, all right? It's the least I could do for my old friends."

"We won't," Freddie assured, and the family walked to the cars to head home.

Paige stared out her bedroom window a couple of hours later. On a hook was her locket, fully opened for the world to see. She stared at it with a blank expression. She was lost in her memories of times past, and the sorrow of her loss.

Each time the spinning locket turned back to the pictures, a little part of her knew that her parents wanted her happiness. They wouldn't want her to shut herself out, or be stuck in the past. They would want her to move on with her life.

"It's okay, right, Mom and Dad?" She whispered to the locket. "It's okay to call Carly and Freddie that, right? I…I don't think I can do it yet, but…it's okay to eventually, right? I'm not betraying you, right?"

The locket remained silent to her ears, but the sunlight through the dark, grey clouds answered everything for her.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	7. iFirst Halloween

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter seven of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, got that right.  
PD31: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Sam is four months pregnant, the funeral was delayed until October due to Josh, who was making the arrangements being arrested and new arrangements had to be made.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iFirst Halloween**

It was October 31st, Halloween. The days that followed the Summers funeral had been sad, Carly and Freddie had been noticeably more sombre, as had Sam, Bobby, Spencer and Marissa Benson. Even little Rachel hadn't been as playful as she usually was but Paige had been affected the most, she would be fine one minute and then the next she would burst into tears. Eventually Carly and Freddie discovered that the best they could do was hold her and let her cry until she had no more tears. There had been concerns that her school work would be affected however the school had, thoughtfully, already provided a grief councillor for Paige. By Halloween things were more or less back to normal, Paige's crying was restricted to a few happy tears whenever she reflected or had dreams about her parents. Some things had changed however; Paige seemed to have entered some kind of awkward phase, when talking to Carly and Freddie she would leave halting gaps in her speech and shift uncomfortably before starting up again. Carly was almost at her wits end trying to understand it, Freddie theorised that Paige was indeed going through a phase and was trying to adapt to calling Carly and him, Mom and Dad, but just couldn't bring herself to do so yet. This had calmed Carly down and she had stopped freaking out, deciding to let Paige take her time and finally say it when she was ready.

Carly smiled as she sat at the kitchen table chatting with Sam, who was, of course, devouring some of Bobby's homemade gumbo. Sam and Bobby planned to stay in and watch horror movies while Carly and Freddie took the girls out trick or treating. Spencer had luckily remembered to get candy for the trick or treaters this time. Paige walked into the kitchen, smiling.

"Hey, um…" She fidgeted slightly, Carly smiled patiently and Paige continued, "It's almost time."

Carly looked up at the clock and nodded. "Right, go and get ready, I'll go and get Rach ready and then I'll get ready, Freddie should be over soon."

"Right."

Sam smirked as Carly stood up and headed towards the stairs with Paige.

"Hey remember guys, I wanna see the costumes." She called after them.

They laughed and reassure Sam they would let her see them before they went before heading up to get ready. Rachel was dozing in her crib when Carly came in; she woke up, smiling as she saw her.

"Mama!" She called out happily.

Carly smiled and picked her up, "Hey sweetie, you ready to go trick or treating," Rachel nodded enthusiastically and Carly added. "Let's get your costume on."

It didn't take long for Carly to get Rachel dressed in her costume, a pretty pink princess dress, complete with a silver tiara.

"You look great sweetie, "Carly declared with a smile.

Rachel giggled and then looked towards the door, her eyes widened and she waved. "Paige!"

Carly turned and smiled, Paige was already in her costume, like Carly Paige was going as a zombie nurse.

"Hey, you look amazing, Paige," Carly complimented.

Paige smiled, "Thanks."

Carly handed Rachel to Paige before heading off to her room to get dressed. Once in her costume Carly and the girls came down; although Rachel obviously couldn't get candy, or indeed eat any, Carly and Freddie had decided to bring her along with Paige so they could all bond as a family. They headed downstairs, Sam and Bobby were sitting on the sofa, Freddie had arrived, dressed as a mad scientist, Rachel smiled and reached for him.

"Dada!" She called out; Freddie smiled and took her gently. He looked over Paige and Carly's costume, "Okay, so we're all ready now."

Carly nodded. Sam and Bobby looked up.

"Wow, cool costumes guys," Sam commented.

Bobby nodded in agreement, "_Oui_, very _magnifique_."

"Thanks" They all chorused before laughing, Rachel snuggled into Freddie's neck as Carly took Paige's hand and together they left.

"You guys be careful!" Spencer called after them.

Sam rolled her eyes and settled back on the sofa; Bobby sat with his arm around her, his free hand resting on her stomach.

"The movie's about to start," Sam stated, noticing the opening titles beginning, Bobby just smiled and gave a short laugh and they both relaxed and watched the movie.

Sam smiled to herself as she and Bobby continued to watch the movies that were on. They were mostly cheesy slasher flicks which they both found more funny than terrifying. At least four groups of kids had been at the door; Spencer had been relieved that none of the kids had been the same ones from the last big Halloween fiasco. Sam couldn't help but snicker at the memory.

"Sam?" Bobby asked, confused, she smiled up at him and she clarified.

"I was just remembering that time, years ago when Carly and I did that iCarly show in the 'haunted apartment' and Spencer had problems because he forgot the candy for the kids."

Bobby laughed, "Oh yeah, Ah remember watchin' dat one."

They both laughed and were just about to settle back in to watching the TV when Sam jumped, Bobby stared wide-eyed at his hand on Sam's stomach and then they both looked at each other.

"Did you feel that?" Sam asked, excited, "The baby, it kicked."

Bobby nodded, "Ah can't believe it, dis is amazin'."

Spencer walked in and saw the looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" He asked, they both turned to him smiling, "Spence, my baby just kicked."

Spencer's eyes widened at Sam's explanation and he smiled, congratulating the happy couple. He was then called away by the doorbell and he hurried to grab the bowl of candy before answering it. Sam and Bobby meanwhile were smiling happily when Bobby then seemed to remember something.

"Ah know ah said ah could feel it in ma bones it was a girl, bu' ah know dere's still the chance it coul' be a boy." He explained, before asking, "Do we 'ave any ideas for names?"

"I was thinking Marie for a girl," Sam explained, "As for a boy, how about…David?"

Bobby nodded, "Dey sound like goo' names ta me."

They kissed and resumed watching the movies, basking in the warmth that surrounded them.

Freddie, Carly, Paige and Rachel were enjoying themselves immensely. The time they spent together trick or treating had given them a lot of time to bond. Paige's awkwardness still showing but she was just as happy as the rest of them. They had just arrived back at Bushwell Plazza and as they headed to the stairs, Lewbert started screaming. They were in too much of a good mood for his incoherent yelling to really affect them. Rachel did however hide her face in Carly's neck.

"Bad man, scream," She mumbled.

Carly gently calmed her as they headed upstairs, Lewbert's voice fading away. Freddie then noticed Paige seemed to be lost in thought.

"Paige, are you okay?" He asked, she looked up at him and finally spoke, "Yeah I'm fine, I was just, thinking about something."

Freddie nodded, "What were you thinking?"

Paige sighed and shook her head, "I was worried, you guys might be angry with me," Freddie stared at her, shocked, but before he could interrupt she continued, "I mean, I've been with you guys a few months now and I'm still not calling you Mom and Dad, I want to, but it's just…It's hard."

Freddie smiled realizing his theory about Paige's awkwardness was correct.

"We're not angry with you at all, don't worry okay," He reassured her, "Take your time, you'll adjust eventually."

Paige smiled, "Thanks, that's a relief."

With their happy atmosphere returned the family returned to the apartment.

They saw Sam and Bobby sitting on the sofa when they came in.

"Hey guys," Carly greeted cheerfully, they looked up, smiling brightly, "You guys are in a good mood."

"You bet," Sam replied, before announcing, "Something happened while you guys were gone, my baby kicked."

They all stared amazed and overjoyed. Sam suddenly jumped.

"The baby's kicking again," Sam stated, her smile even wider, Paige darted forwards, "I wanna feel."

They all laughed at Paige's excitement and watched the happy scene. True they had gone through several rough times but they were pulling together as a family now and the future looked bright for them.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, things are about to take a drastic turn next chapter; just wait and see. Read and review please.


	8. iGet Kidnapped

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 8 of my iCarly story, things take a bit of drastic turn, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, she is.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iGet Kidnapped**

Carly Shay smiled gently as she and Freddie rode to Ridgeway Elementary. They had finished school and were on their way to pick up Paige from hers. She had decided to wait after her school finished for them. Carly smiled, it was November 3rd; twelve days till Paige's birthday. She wanted to make it special for the girl; she was going to be ten, after everything that happened, she deserved a special birthday. Freddie finally parked the car and smiled at Carly, they briefly kissed.

"Well, let's go get Paige." He said.

Carly nodded and they got out of the car; heading into the school. Carly had an unusual sense of foreboding as they reached the office. They knocked and entered and the young woman behind the desk looked up and smiled at them, recognizing them.

"We're here to pick up Paige." Freddie told her.

The woman's smiles dropped and she looked confused. "She said she would wait in the parking lot for you; didn't you see her?"

Carly and Freddie shared a look. "No, she wasn't out there; we thought she would be waiting here."

The woman shook her head and, worried, both teens turned and hurried back out. Carly trying hard not to panic. They returned to the parking lot and looked around, yet they couldn't see any sign of Paige. All the worst case scenarios began running through Carly's head as they continued to look around, finding nothing.

It was then Freddie cried out.

"Carly, over here!"

She hurried over and froze; there in front of Freddie, lying on the ground was one of Paige's sneakers. Carly recognized it as it was brand new, she and Paige had went shopping and bought them just yesterday. As she went to pick it up Freddie stopped her.

Carly looked at him confused until he clarified. "Wait; the only way Paige would've just left it lying like that is if there was a struggle…"

Carly gasped. "You mean…she might've been kidnapped?"

Freddie nodded grimly and Carly immediately pulled out her phone and called the police. Once she made the report they waited until the police arrived. The police got to work inspecting the scene for any other clues while one of the officers took Carly aside to speak to her, another spoke to Freddie.

"Now Miss Shay, could you tell me when you last had contact with your…daughter?"

Carly bit her lip. "Adopted daughter; but we just refer to her as my daughter…"

The officer nodded and Carly continued. "Last time I saw her was before school; we dropped her off. She said she'd wait after school for us to finish at our school and we'd come pick her up. When we got here we didn't see her, we thought she might be waiting at the office so we went to get her. But the woman who works there said Paige planned to wait for us in the parking lot. We came back out and looked around, that's when we saw her shoe and noticed there'd been a struggle. We called you right after that."

The officer nodded again, taking notes of what Carly said.

Finally the officer asked one final question.

"Could you describe your daughter and what she was wearing?"

Carly nodded.

"She's nine years old; average height with shoulder length blonde hair, brown eyes, skinny build. She was wearing a white T-shirt; denim shorts, black leggings, white socks and, the other sneaker."

The officer nodded and took a few notes.

"Thank you Miss Shay, we'll find your daughter; in the meantime, I suggest you return home and wait for developments." The officer stated.

Carly nodded; she was still fearful but agreed, Carly and Freddie returned to the car, both fearful.

"Freddie…what…?"

Freddie shook his head. "There's nothing more we can do Carly; not until we know more…I, I'm afraid the best we can do is go home."

Carly swallowed nervously; Freddie was just as afraid as her; but he was right. Freddie drove them home and, once there, they headed up to apartment 8C. Inside Sam sat on the sofa with Bobby; they looked up and saw Carly and Freddie, their expressions.

"Huh, what's wrong guys?" Sam asked. "Where's Paige?"

Carly swallowed and explained about Paige going missing and the possibility of her being kidnapped, the police were currently looking into it but right now, they couldn't do anything. As they explained things Spencer came in and also heard it; soon they were all distressed, fearful for Paige and wondering what they could do to help her.

While waiting to hear from the police Carly and the others remained in the apartment; Carly sat with her head in her hands, Freddie was pacing the apartment while Sam did her best to comfort Carly. Bobby and Spencer were in the kitchen, trying to find something to keep their minds from wandering to the worst case scenario. Suddenly the phone rang and Carly rushed to answer it; everybody turned to watch her, waiting tensely.

"Hello?" Carly began shakily, wondering if it was the police.

"Carly Shay." The distorted voice on the other end was clearly not the police.

Carly felt her nervousness growing even worse as she replied. "Who is this?"

The voice however did not reply, instead, confirming her worst fears. "We have your daughter; she is safe, but exactly how safe she remains will depend on you…We will contact you later with our demands."

"What, wait, how do I know you're telling the truth?" Carly exclaimed desperately.

There was distorted laughter on the other end.

"Very well; listen."

Carly heard the sound of ripping tape and a scream, then heard the distorted voice say something before she heard the voice.

"C-Carly…Please, I…I…" It was Paige; she sounded weak and Carly realized something horrifying.

However before she could say anything the distorted voice spoke again, reminding her of them calling with their demands later before hanging up.

Carly put the phone down shakily, the others all watched her, finally Freddie approached her.

"Carls?"

Carly inhaled shakily and then revealed. "Paige has been kidnapped, it was them, the ones who took her…Oh God, Freddie…Paige, she's; she hasn't had…"

Carly broke down and Freddie hugged her.

"Hey, Carls, what's wrong…"

Carly finally choked out what was making her panic. "They're holding her and they don't know…she needs her insulin or she's going to go into hypoglycaemic shock. She could die."

It suddenly dawned on everybody now, just how serious the situation had become. They immediately called the police to inform them of this development. Before long officers were around at the house and were setting something up. Carly was confused until one of the officers explained.

"You said they would call back with demands." Carly nodded and the officer continued. "Well, with this we'll be able to track their phone location and therefore, we'll have the location of these kidnappers and your daughter."

Carly nodded; praying fervently that this would work. Her biggest fear was this had something to do with Paige's uncle Josh; after all, early the following year, Josh was to stand trial and if found innocent, he would be set free and Paige and Rachel would go to him rather than Carly. If something happened to Paige and she was too scared or unable to testify her side of the story, the victim, then it would be a great blow for the case against Josh. However there was also the other issue that is was unconnected to Josh and might be more directed towards her, creating more confusion and fear.

Seeing the state Carly was in soon proved to be too much for Sam; she left the room, Bobby saw and also noticed the tears forming in her eyes. He gently left the room and followed Sam, he soon found her in the room they shared. She was standing near the window with tears in her eyes and a hand on her swollen stomach. Bobby came up behind her and gently kissed her neck as he hugged her.

"'Ey cher, wha's wrong?" He asked softly.

Bobby felt Sam tremble as she replied. "I just…Seeing what Carly's going through…It's just too much, what if, what if something like that ever happened to our child…I don't think I could cope or, or anything."

Bobby sighed sadly and gently kissed Sam again.

"Then let's pray dat nothin' like dat ever 'appens." He said gently.

Sam nodded and, with Bobby's assistance she returned to the main room. They stopped when they saw Carly on the phone, talking to the person on the other end. The police were busy with their equipment. They waited anxiously until Carly finally hanged up and turned to the police.

"Well, did it work?" She asked anxiously.

The officers worked a bit more and then one of the officers smiled grimly.  
"Yes; we managed to trace the call." He exclaimed. "We know where they are; we'll have a team head over there right away."

The officers prepared to leave, while some packed up their equipment. However Carly stopped them.

"Wait, you need to take this." She handed them Paige's insulin. "Please; you have to be quick, she'll need this right away, she'll be going into shock soon, she'll die if she doesn't get her insulin."

The officer nodded in confirmation and they left; Carly prayed fervently that they would succeed.

* * *

End of chapter, this is the first of two parts; the next will feature these same events and events that take place afterwards but from Paige's POV. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	9. iTrust Them

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 9 of my iCarly story, now we see Paige's side of the kidnapping and find out what happened after the police left last chapter.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yeah, I know, the people who usually review do when they can, but they are all busy.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iTrust Them**

Paige Benson smiled; it was November 3rd, only twelve days till her birthday. Her adoptive Mother Carly was planning to make it special. School had finished for the day and she was waiting for Carly and Freddie to pick her up. Carly and Freddie were going to be a little late but would be here soon. Uncle Spencer and Grandma Benson were working so they couldn't come. She didn't mind waiting. She stood in the parking lot; waiting for their car to arrive.

"Hey Paige." A familiar friendly voice called out.

She turned and smiled, it was her friend, Lloyd Sadat.

"Hey Lloyd, how's it going?" She replied.

Lloyd returned her smile. "Great, you waiting for your parents too?"

Paige nodded and the two of them stood and waited together, making small talk. Eventually Lloyd's parents arrived to pick him up.

"If you want my parents can drop you off at home." Lloyd offered. "I'm sure it's no trouble, it'll save you waiting anymore."

Paige however shook her head. "It's okay Lloyd, I'll be fine, I don't mind waiting."

"Are you sure?"

Paige nodded. "Of course."

Lloyd bit his lip and then sighed. "Okay then, see you tomorrow."

With that Lloyd headed to the car and they drove off, Lloyd waved goodbye to Paige, she waved back and then continued to wait. It was then it happened; she had been waiting patiently when she heard a noise, before she could react to it however a hand holding a sweet smelling rag had covered her mouth and nose. Despite her struggles she soon passed out.

When she woke up it was to terror, she couldn't move. She soon realized she had been tied to a chair, a length of black material had been tied around her eyes, blindfolding her and several strips of tape covered her mouth, she was bound, gagged and helpless. Almost immediately she began panicking and fear took over, she struggled desperately against her bonds and screamed for help through her gag. But to no avail; it was then she heard a distorted voice talking and she froze.

"Good, the brat's awake now." It said. "We can make the phone call now."

Then another voice, also distorted spoke. "Okay, we're ready to go, make the call; I'll keep an eye on her."

Paige tensed fearfully; who were these people, what did they want with her? She soon got her answer when she heard them talking to Carly on the phone.

'_A ransom demand, but why…'_ Her thoughts became sluggish and a new horror dawned on her. _'Wait, when did I last take my insulin…Oh no, I…They don't know I'm diabetic…I…I…'_

Her thoughts were cut off when suddenly the tape was ripped off her mouth. She cried out in pain before her cheek exploded with more pain and the distorted voice spoke.

"Shut up brat, now talk, it's your dear mother. No trying to tell her anything, just let her know it's you." It taunted her.

Paige let out a shuddering breath, her cheek still stinging from the slap.

"C-Carly…Please, I…I…" She wanted to tell Carly about the danger she was in.

However when she heard how weak her voice sounded she was shocked. Before she could say anything more a hand covered her mouth and the phone was taken away.

As the phone call was finished the hand was removed from her mouth. But before Paige could cry out or do anything she was gagged with more tape. Then the one who had been on the phone grabbed her,

"Stupid brat, I'll teach you to act out." The figure snarled; despite the voice distortion it was clear this one was female. "This'll teach you to do as you're told in future."

Paige anticipated another slap, what she didn't anticipate was a heavy blow, likely from a hammer or similar object, slamming just below her right knee, breaking her leg and making her scream.

"What the hell?!" The other figure, a male, cried. "That's a bit far."

She heard a growl from the woman. "I'm not nearly done with this bitch yet."

With that she attacked Paige again and soon the girl was crying. However finally it stopped. Paige was still crying, still in pain and now could feel the perspiration on her forehead and the weakness; all the other symptoms were also beginning to come on.

'_It's happening…I need my insulin…I…'_

She soon lost track of time, wondering how long it would be before hypoglycaemic shock set in and from there, how long until she died.

She was brought back to reality by the sound of her tormentor's voice again. She was on the phone, making ransom demands. However through all the pain and her internal suffering, Paige couldn't properly make out what was being said; she just wanted it to all be over as she once more slipped inside herself. When she recovered she heard something, something that brought her hope, sirens, the police had found her. However it was then she heard her captors; they were panicking, doing something. Then suddenly Paige felt herself get hit by a wall of heat and heard the roar and crackle of frames. She screamed into the gag, they had set the building on fire, leaving her trapped; now the smoke was getting to her. Worse still she heard them talking as they began to make their escape.

"Wait." The male cried out. "What about her, we can't…"

But the female's response was cold. "What about her; she's useless to us now, why should I care what happens to her, now come on."

With that they left and Paige was trapped alone in the flames to die. She struggled but only succeeded in tipping the chair, sending more pain through her injured leg. She heard more shouting, this time, not distorted, heard the word insulin and then blacked out.

When Paige came to she found she was in a hospital bed, she felt a lot better, an oxygen mask was attached to her face, her injuries had been treated. Her right leg was in a cast and she was hooked up to an IV drip of insulin. Sitting next to the bed, holding her hand, was Carly.

"Paige." Carly gasped. "You're awake, oh thank god."

Carly hugged her desperately and, then, the words slipped out of Paige's mouth.

"Mom…"

Carly looked up, surprised. "Paige?"

Paige managed to smile. "It's okay to call you that, right?"

Carly smiled back and nodded.

"Yeah, it is." She said softly. "It's okay now, you just rest, you're safe now…We're all here, the others will be back soon."

Paige nodded and relaxed; she still didn't know who had kidnapped her or why, but she was relieved that, at least now, she was safe, she had a loving family who were going to help her get through this.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	10. iMiss Them

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 10 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, well, she already is.  
PD31: Actually the kidnappers plot is more geared towards Carly, the ransom demands were a smokescreen, yes everybody was, well, all I can say is wait and see.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iMiss Them**

Carly jolted awake immediately when she heard the scream. She knew who it was screaming and why.

'_Paige.'_ Carly's worried thoughts went to her adopted daughter.

It had been five days since Paige had been rescued from being kidnapped; she had made a full recovery physically but mentally she seemed to be scarred for life. Carly got out of bed and hurried over to Paige's room. There she found Paige thrashing in her sleep; she hurried over to her just as the young girl jerked awake.

"Paige…" Carly said softly; Paige jumped, her eyes wide, fearful. "It's just me."

Tears filled Paige's eyes as she finally saw the speaker. "Mom."

Carly hugged the poor girl and let her cry into her shoulder.

"It's okay." She gently reassured Paige. "You're okay now."

She then saw Paige was looking over her shoulder and turned her head. Standing in the doorway, looking concerned, were Sam and Bobby; Sam had one hand resting on her swollen stomach. Sam smiled softly as she stepped into the room.

"Hey kiddo." She said. "You okay?"

Paige bit her lip and sniffled. "Aunt Sam…I'm sorry I woke you guys up."

Sam shook her head. "It's okay, we were worried about you."

Paige managed a weak smile, but then another worry took hold in her mind.

"Is…Is Rach…?"

Sam nodded, still smiling. "She's still asleep."

Paige smiled relieved and, satisfied Carly had things under control, Sam and Bobby returned to bed. Carly opted to stay with Paige all night and lay, holding the young girl until they both feel back asleep.

The following morning Freddie was over at the Shay's apartment early; he was currently giving Rachel her bottle. He turned as the door opened and saw his mother enter.

"Hey mom." He greeted casually.

Marissa Benson nodded and smiled. "Hello Freddie, how are you and Rachel doing?"

Freddie smiled back. "We're fine…It's Paige I'm worried about."

They both knew about Paige's nightmares, despite their investigations the police were also no closer to finding answers either.

"Another nightmare?" Marissa asked; Freddie nodded and she sighed. "That kidnapping scared her badly, probably left her scarred for life."

Freddie silently agreed as his mother went upstairs. She knocked softly and entered Paige's room. Carly was awake and sitting next to the bed, gently stroking Paige's hair as she slept. Carly saw Mrs. Benson and stood up, quietly approaching her.

"Mrs. Benson?"

Marissa nodded. "How is she doing?"

Carly sighed. "Okay, she managed to get back to sleep after I stayed with her, she's gonna need time."

Marissa smiled gently. "Yes; she is; oh it's supposed to snow later, heavily, so make sure the girls keep warm, okay."

Carly nodded in agreement; Paige then awoke.

"Mom?"

Carly smiled and walked back over to the bed.

"I'm here; did you sleep okay after I stayed?"

Paige smiled in response. "Yeah, thanks."

Carly smiled back and gently kissed Paige's forehead. Once Paige was ready they headed downstairs for breakfast.

Later, just as Mrs. Benson had heard, it did indeed begin to snow, rather heavily and before long it lay thick on the ground. Not wanting to miss a chance for some fun Paige made sure she and Rachel were wrapped up warm and took her sister outside. This was after all Rachel's first time seeing snow; Paige wanted to be there when she did. Rachel gazed in wonder at the snow as Paige did her best to explain it to her.

"Cold?" Rachel said as she reached out and gently touched some of the snow.

Paige nodded. "Yes Rach, it is, that's why you wear gloves."

Rachel smiled and the sisters continued to spend time together until Rachel needed to be fed again, Carly took Rachel inside, Paige wanted to stay out and enjoy the snow a little longer. However while she was playing she accidently disturbed a pile of snow on a nearby low rooftop which promptly fell; burying her. She screamed and that scream brought Carly rushing out where she saw Paige.

"Help!" Paige cried, pulling herself out of the snow.

Carly hurried over and helped her to her feet.

"Paige?"

Paige was soaking wet and shivering. "I'm freezing."

"C'mon, let's get you inside, hurry."

As they walked inside Paige sighed; she had wanted to show Rachel the snow and to have a good time, now this. She felt as if she was jinxed with bad luck.

Later Paige was sitting on the sofa in the apartment, wrapped up in a blanket with a bowl of hot soup. She sighed, still lamenting her unfortunate encounter. It was then she noticed Carly examining a box.

"What's that?" She asked.

Carly turned to look at her. "It was part of your parent's belongings; they were sent over yesterday…I think this one has a lot of old videos."

Paige bit her lip, videos belonging to her parents. She pondered for a moment before asking.

"Can we watch them?"

Carly smiled. "Sure."

She made sure everything was set up and played the first video. Paige gasped when the video showed her parents in the hospital; John was the one holding the video camera; Annie was sitting upright in the hospital bed, smiling widely, in her arms was a baby girl, a small tuft of blonde hair was visible on her head. That told Paige all she needed to know.

"This is the day I was born." She whispered; her emotions already welling up inside her.

They continued to watch through the videos; seeing various events including Paige's first birthday; there were a few videos with Josh in them.

Paige shuddered. "That was before I knew, before he…"

Carly hugged her. "It's okay, he can't hurt you anymore, remember."

Paige nodded as they continued to watch the videos, including one where Annie was pregnant with Rachel, with Paige finding out she would be a big sister. The final video was of the Christmas day that Carly and the others came to see them.

Carly smiled as the video ended, she turned to Paige and saw the tears in her eyes. She hugged her as Paige finally whispered.  
"I miss them, I miss them so much."

Carly smiled. "I know, they were good people."

"I can't thank you enough for taking me and Rach in." Paige replied with a smile.

It was then Freddie came in with Rachel.

"Mama, Paige." She cried out, waving as she saw them.

Paige smiled; she knew she would always miss her parents, but that didn't mean she couldn't still be happy, in fact, she knew with certainty that was what her parents would want, for her to be happy.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	11. iBirthday

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 11 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iBirthday**

It was November 15th, it had been over a week since Paige Benson was kidnapped and held hostage by the still unknown assailants. Ever since the incident Paige's sleep had remained plagued by nightmares, Carly and Freddie did everything they could to comfort her and in some cases even stayed with her the whole night. The first time had been out of desperation but Paige now felt a more at ease with calling Carly and Freddie, Mom and Dad. She still wasn't completely comfortable but she didn't feel as awkward anymore. When Carly awoke that day she smiled, she had stayed with Paige last night and thanks to her help the nine year old girl had managed to sleep more or less peacefully. Carly shook her head, she was wrong, Paige wasn't nine anymore, today was the young girl's tenth birthday. Carly smiled and quietly got out of bed and got dressed, being careful not to wake Paige up. She left the room and headed downstairs. Sam and Bobby were already up and eating breakfast. They both smiled at her as she came into the kitchen.

"Hey Carls." Sam greeted, Carly smiled back, "Hey Sam, still loving that gumbo, huh."

Sam laughed and nodded as she continued to eat. Carly prepared breakfast and already began running through her plans for Paige's birthday.

She immediately began running through the list, Paige's friends would be coming around at two, Carly had already gathered plenty of chips and soda and was going to call out for pizza. With Bobby's help she was setting up everything they would need for party games when Freddie came over. Carly smiled and they kissed before he helped her and Bobby, they had arranged everything and had set up most of the stuff last night, after Paige had gone to bed. Now they just had to finish setting up the prize table and they would be ready. As they finished Spencer came into the room.

"Hey guys, how's everything going?" He asked, Carly turned to face him, smiling, "Everything's great, we've got everything all set. Thanks for building that basketball hoop game."

Spencer smiled, "No problem Carls."

Finally Carly and Spencer headed through to get breakfast and then Carly and Freddie headed upstairs. They smiled as they saw Rachel lying in her crib, sucking her thumb. The little girl had just woken up and saw them, she smiled.

"Mama, Dada!" She called out happily, Carly picked her up and Rachel snuggled into her arms.

"Morning sweetie," Carly greeted her, "You ready for Paige's party?"

Rachel nodded enthusiastically and Carly began to get her dressed while Freddie went to wake Paige up.

Freddie's smile dropped slightly as he walked into Paige's room, he thought about her nightmares and sighed.

'_Hopefully today she won't have to deal with it,'_ He thought, _'We just have to keep helping her, she'll make it.'_

With that he walked over and gently shook Paige's shoulder.

"Paige, it's time to get up." He said softly, Paige groaned and mumbled something along the lines of 'Five more minutes Dad' which made Freddie laugh softly.

"C'mon Paige, don't you remember what day it is?" He replied, she opened one eye and gazed blearily at him.

"Huh…" There was a moment of confusion and then, through the fog of sleep clouding her brain it clicked and she immediately sat up, wide awake, "Oh yeah."

Freddie felt like his face was going to hurt by the end of the day as he smiled wider, "Happy Birthday."

Paige smiled widely as Freddie hugged her. "Carly's getting Rach ready, we've got everything set up, the party's at two so that gives us time to eat and get ready."

Paige nodded and Freddie left the room while she got ready. It was decided that after the initial bout of opening presents the whole family, with Sam and Bobby of course, would go out to eat and then come back and get ready for the party starting. A few minutes later they were all dressed and gathered in the living room where Paige began to open her presents. Carly and Freddie were relieved as they watched Paige's happy face as she opened her presents and they noted that, thankfully, she wasn't going to let the kidnapping affect her today. Finally, once they had finished with the presents they got themselves ready and headed out, Paige was looking just as happy as Carly had remembered her from before her parent's death.

'_She's still recovering, but she's doing great.'_ Carly thought proudly as they left the apartment and headed out to eat.

After an enjoyable meal the family returned to the apartment and after double-checking everything was set up they got dressed in their best party clothes and, punctually at two O'clock the first of the guests arrived. Several of Paige's friends from school, including Lloyd showed up first and finally, by quarter past two, all the guests had arrived. Once everyone was there Carly called for attention.

"Okay guys, as you can see, all the games are set up, every time you win a game you'll be given a prize ticket. Over there is the prize table, every prize is labelled with a number, that's the number of tickets you need for that prize. Later on there will be a small dancing competition, the dancing game is set up over there. I'll call you again when the food is ready, it'll be set up on that table and you can help yourselves. That's about all you need to know, other than that…just have fun."

The kids all cheered and immediately began trying out the different games. Carly sat down next to Freddie on the barstools next to the counter and watched happily. Freddie was bouncing a giggling Rachel on his knee as he too watched the festivities.

Carly smiled and spoke to Freddie; her voice soft, gentle. "She's come so far, had to endure so much at such a young age." Carly noted as she watched Paige who was playing air hockey with one of her friends, Lucy.

Freddie nodded, "She's managed because she had us, we were all there for her."

Carly nodded and then sighed, "You know, she likes you better than me."

Freddie shook his head, "She still loves you Carly, she's more than grateful for you taking her and Rach in."

Carly smiled, "I know that, I know she loves me, it's just, she loves you more, that's all."

Freddie laughed softly as Paige won the game. Lloyd had just won at the basketball hoop game for the second time in a row. The kids were having a fun time with all the party games, they were happy to win and when exchanging the tickets for prizes they smiled. Those that lost didn't seem to mind as they were all having too much fun to really care who won or lost. When they moved onto the dancing contest everybody joined in, even Carly, Freddie and Bobby. Spencer decided not to and held Rachel as Carly and Freddie took their turns. Sam at least had a valid excuse. Finally the dance contests were finished with Paige winning, it was then that Carly checked on the food and set it all up on the buffet table.

"Okay guys, help yourselves. We've got more stuff for you to do after we've eaten."

The group cheered and soon the buffet table was crowded.

As everybody ate Bobby noticed Sam appeared to have tears in her eyes.

"Sam, ya okay, cher?" He asked concerned, Sam however smiled at him and wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" She said, clearing her throat. "I just can't help but think about the future. We've got all this to look forward to when the little one is born." She explained, gently rubbing her stomach.

Bobby smiled and gently kissed her, "Ah know, is amazin'."

Sam nodded and then gave a soft sigh, "You know I…I think…I finally, feel like I'm ready for this, I'm still not absolutely sure but…compared to how I felt when I first told you…I feel great."

Bobby smiled although there was one thing nagging at the back of his mind. Finally he couldn't hold it back anymore and knew he had to ask.

"Sam, do ya 'ave any idea wha's wrong wi' Melanie?" Sam looked at him, confused, "It's jus'…Whenever ah try ta talk to 'er, she's always so 'ostile or cold towards me."

"That doesn't sound like Melanie." Sam remarked, confused, "I'll ask her about it, okay."

Bobby nodded and agreed, hoping he could get to the bottom of this.

Finally, after eating the dancing game was moved to the side to make room for the next activity, they had now moved onto a karaoke contest. Everyone was enthusiastic about it and soon they were all taking turns singing and enjoying themselves. Carly had joined in too and impressed everyone with her singing; this led to Paige happily declaring Carly as the winner of the contest, to which everyone agreed, causing Carly to blush. After the contest was done the karaoke machine was kept out so they could continue singing just for fun. Some of the kids returned to the air hockey and other games. Time seemed to pass by so quickly and the evening wore on, the party slowly winding down to a happy conclusion when finally everyone had to leave and go home. They all said their goodbyes to Paige and she thanked them all for coming. After the last of the guests left Paige went with Carly to help get Rachel ready for bed.

"So, did you have a good time?" Carly asked happily.

Paige nodded. "Yeah, it was great; this has been my best birthday ever."

Carly smiled and kissed Paige's forehead, "I'm glad to hear it, you deserve something like this after…everything."

Paige nodded, she knew what Carly was referring to and she couldn't agree more. True she still missed her real parents and she still suffered from nightmares from what the kidnappers had done to her but she was certain of one thing, which made this day all the more special to her. She loved her new family, and they all loved her.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	12. iAm Thankful

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 12 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iAm Thankful**

It was late November, the last Wednesday of the month, Thanksgiving was the following day, this would be the first Thanksgiving dinner with Paige and Rachel and therefore was very important, especially for Carly who wanted to make sure it went right. Sam and Bobby were currently out doing some last minute shopping, most of the preparation was almost done, Carly was in charge of the cooking while Spencer, Freddie and Paige were in charge of the decorations. Sam and Bobby had been sent out to buy some more food, given Sam's cravings some extra food couldn't hurt. However, due to her pregnancy Sam tired a lot more easily now and was struggling to keep up with Bobby. Luckily he noticed and stopped.

"Sam, d' ya wanna rest?" He asked, concerned.

She smiled, "Yeah, that'd be great."

Bobby smiled and took her hand, leading her over to a nearby bench where they both sat down, Sam with some difficulty. They sat together happily, watching the crowds go by. Sam rested one of her hands on her stomach and the other on Bobby's shoulder. Bobby smiled at this and then, after some thought, decided to ask something that was on his mind.

"Sam ah was wonderin'." He began; Sam looked up at him expectantly. "Why, why did ya not want ta get an ultrasoun'?"

Sam smiled at this and laid her head back on his shoulder before finally answering.

"I want it to be a surprise; I guess it'll feel more special, if we wait until the baby is born to find out what gender it is." She explained, "Does that…make sense?"

Bobby smiled and nodded, "Of course, Ah was jus; curious."

They remained seated, Bobby mentally ran through the list of food Carly had told them to get.

Their peaceful relaxation was however interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Bobby." They looked up and Bobby immediately tensed, it was his parents.

"Wha' do ya want?" He asked, his voice cold.

Abby Duke shifted uncomfortably, obviously unsure how to react to his obvious bitterness. Remy sighed and after contemplating for a minute, finally spoke.

"We, we need ta talk."

Bobby shook his head, "Oh, now ya wanna talk ta me. After all dis time, pretendin' Sam and ah don' exist."

Abby finally found her voice.

"But Bobby…"

Bobby glared at her. "But nothin'. Ya turned yer backs on us, righ' when we needed ya most."

It was taking every ounce of self control Bobby had not to start shouting.

Sam shook her head and gripped Bobby's hand.

"Bobby, just forget it," She tried to calm him; she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Sam knew she had a bad temper but Bobby seemed almost out of control, then again, all this anger and frustration had been building up since his parents abandoned them and he had no outlet for it. Bobby turned to Sam and his features softened, but what Remy had to say next was enough to bring the anger back.

"Look, we were wrong, we're sorry, we jus' want ya ta forgive us."

Bobby rounded on them, "Forgive ya…A bit late for dat now!" He yelled before shaking his head, "Sorry, bu' it's too little, too late, c'mon Sam, Carly' gonna wonder where we are."

So, helping Sam up he turned his back on his parents and they left, heading back to the Shay apartment.

When they returned to the Shay apartment Bobby was calmer, Sam wisely decided not to talk about what just happened. They entered to find Carly hard at work with the pre-cooking and other preparations, Spencer, Freddie and Paige were still in the middle of putting up the decorations. The decorations were traditional Thanksgiving decorations, depicting turkeys, pilgrims, Native Americans and plastic harvest horns. Paige was busy hanging up plastic multi-coloured leaves in the shape of garlands; Freddie was keeping a close eye on her, worried about her safety. Carly looked up when they came in.

"Hey guys," She greeted cheerfully, a bit more cheerful than she usually was.

They smiled back.

"Hey Carls," Sam replied.

Bobby then asked, "Wha's got ya so chipper."

Carly's smile grew wider, "It's great news, this might be one of the best Thanksgivings for Spencer and me in a long time." She paused and then revealed what had her so excited, "Mom and Dad are gonna be here, they're coming home."

Sam's eyes widened, "What, seriously?"

Carly nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, Dad's on leave and Mom got time off work. They'll arrive early tomorrow morning."

Sam paused for a moment, "Um, Carls, do they know about…Paige and Rachel?" Carly's smile didn't falter, "Of course, I told them all about it, they're eager to meet them."

"I guess you told them about Bobby too." Carly nodded.

"And about…" Carly shook her head.

"It didn't feel right for me to talk about something like that."

Sam sighed, "Yeah I…I get it, boy they're gonna be in for a surprise."

Spencer, Freddie and Paige came over, smiling; all the decorations were now hung up.

While Carly made sure all the pre-cooking was taken care of they all spoke of the return of Carly and Spencer's parents, Paige was excited at the prospect of meeting them. Although her usual worry about them not liking her was evident. Some time later Melanie arrived and joined in the conversation. As usual she regarded Bobby critically. Sam had asked Melanie about her problem with Bobby but she refused to say anything, Bobby couldn't take it anymore.

"Uh, Melanie could ah talk to ya for a minute," He asked, she looked suspiciously at him and finally agreed. They headed upstairs as Bobby emphasized he wanted to talk to her in private.

Once upstairs, in the iCarly studio, Bobby turned to Melanie.

"Okay, ah know ya 'ave a problem wi' me," He explained, "Wha's wrong, why are ya so wary 'round me, why won' ya tell Sam?"

Melanie's eyes widened in shock at this but then she glared.

"You're wondering why I don't trust you." She stated Bobby nodded and then Melanie surprised him by suddenly screaming at him, he was sure the others could hear it downstairs.

"Look at how easily you left your own parents for Sam!" Bobby opened his mouth to protest but she still continued, "How do I know you won't willingly leave Sam when things aren't going your way?!"

She glared at him and stepped closer, "Why don't I trust you Bobby?" She asked rhetorically. "It's because what you SAY is completely different from what you DO!"

Bobby tried to say something in his own defense but then Melanie revealed why she felt that way.

"Just like my Dad! You say you'll always be there, but once things don't go your way, you'll gladly up and leave the people who love you!"

Bobby lowered his head, not saying a word.

Melanie shook her head and then continued. "I can't make you stay away from Sam, but…remember this Bobby…" She growled, her eyes hardening with resolve, "You take one step out of line…You hurt Sam even a little…And I'll make sure you never doubt Sam and I are sisters EVER again!"

She stepped right but to him, "_Remember, I am watching you._"

With that she turned and stormed off although Bobby was certain he heard a sob escape from her throat before she left the studio. The rest of the day Bobby shut himself in his and Sam's room, refusing to come out. Sam had been able to calm Melanie down and find out what happened. She assured her twin she would resolve it and when Melanie left she looked better off. Soon everything was all ready and everyone was off to bed. Only Sam and Carly were still awake and presumably Bobby as they hadn't heard him moving to the bed.

"Sam, what are we gonna do about this?" Carly asked, worried, Sam however gave a small smile, "I'm sure I can sort this out, Melanie just needed to let off some steam, she'll come around tomorrow to join us and we'll fix everything up. I'm gonna go see Bobby now."

Carly smiled and nodded and headed off to bed while Sam headed to her and Bobby's bedroom.

Sure enough Bobby was sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked lost in thought, she approached him and hugged him as best she could with her swollen stomach. Bobby sighed and let the pressure in his shoulders drop.

"Ah'm sorry _cher_, ah didn't mean for tha' ta 'appen."

"It's okay," Sam replied, "Look, it's better this way, besides, Melanie's bound to relax now that she's got that off her chest."

"But, wha' she said…"

Sam shook her head, "Mels has always had some Daddy issues. It's not just you; she's suspicious of all fathers-to-be."

"Ah guess dat makes me feel better." Bobby replied slowly, "But…Maybe ah should…"

"What?" Bobby sighed and then finally answered.

"Wha' Melanie said…She did 'ave a point, maybe ah should gi' Mom _et_ Pop another chance."

Sam smiled and kissed him, "That's up to you, but don't go rushing into things, sleep on it, okay."

Bobby agreed and they both got into bed, ready for tomorrow. The following morning Sam woke up to find Bobby already awake and hanging up his phone.

"Bobby?" She questioned sleepily.

He turned to her and smiled, "Ah've though' about it, Ah decided ta forgive 'em, tha's what I was doin' dere. They're gonna come 'round and join us."

Sam smiled and laughed, "Good job we got all the extra food huh." She joked, Bobby joined in her laughter and helped Sam up, they quickly washed and got dressed before heading down to the main room.

Carly was already up and cooking the turkey, humming a song to herself. Spencer was setting up the long table which had been set up in the main part of the room while Paige fed Rachel. They then noticed two more people, sitting on the sofa which had been moved back, nearer the stairs. The first was a muscular man around Spencer's height with short brown hair and brown eyes. The second was a woman with long dark brown hair, identical to Carly's, and brown eyes, she was also rather petit like Carly. It was Stephen and Laurie Shay, Carly and Spencer's parents. They looked up when Sam and Bobby came down the stairs and stared in surprise when they saw Sam's swollen stomach.

"Hello Samantha," Laurie greeted her when she finally got her voice back, "I'm glad you could join us."

Sam smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, it's nice to see you too."

After an awkward pause she introduced them properly to Bobby and explained about her pregnancy. As she finished Paige had finished feeding Rachel and had come over to join them. Her fears were unnecessary, Laurie immediately took a shine to the girls and even the normally stiff Stephen Shay smiled and spoke warmly to them.

Later there was a knock on the door, it was Melanie, she was tense at first but after Bobby spoke to her and informed her about his choice and his realization of his mistakes she became more cheerful. Even later, after Mrs Benson and Freddie came over, there was another knock at the door, this time it was Remy and Abby. There was awkward tension in the air as Bobby faced his parents. He had told Stephen and Laurie about what had happened between them and they too watched the scene with baited breath. Finally the tension broke as Bobby approached them and hugged them both.

"Ah'm sorry," He muttered as tears began to fall down his cheeks. Remy and Abby sighed in relief and returned the hug.

"Is alright Bobby," Abby choked out through her own tears.

"We're de one's who should be sorry." Remy added.

They finally parted and dried their tears, all of them were smiling. Sam slowly, cautiously walked over, next to Bobby. To her relief the Duke's faces didn't darken but remained smiling and she knew they would accept her now. Finally, after all the tears and joyful reunions it was time for them to eat. Carly had prepared a feast for the entire group. As well as the traditional nicely stuffed turkey with cranberry sauce, home made gravy and corn on the cob, she had also made mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, banana bread and even some home-made biscuits.

The family all sat around the table and, before eating began to talk about what they were thankful for that year. Everyone was happy and told what they were thankful for with a smile, then it was Paige's turn, she lowered her head shyly before looking up and finally revealed.

"This year, I'm thankful for my new family, who've kindly accepted me after everything that has happened."

Everyone smiled at this and Carly and Freddie hugged her. Soon everyone began eating, Carly and Freddie taking turns to feed Rachel. Finally everyone finished the delicious meal and quite a few of them were stuffed. Sam of course ate the most, as she would have done even is she wasn't pregnant. By now it was getting late, Rachel was tucked into her crib and sleeping soundly, Paige was allowed to stay up late as there was no school tomorrow. The girls sat around the table chatting happily while the men had brought their chairs in front of the TV and were watching American football. Some time later Remy and Abby prepared to head home, as was Melanie. Sadly Stephen and Laurie had to leave as tomorrow they would be back at work. None the less they hugged their children lovingly and promised they would find time again to come back.

Paige also headed off to bed, without complaining due to how tired she was. Freddie and Mrs Benson also headed over to their apartment. Carly started to clean up but Sam shook her head.

"Relax Carls; we can all clean up tomorrow." Carly hesitated and then smiled, "Okay, I guess you are right."

Carly smiled as Sam and Bobby headed off to bed.

'_They've come so far.' _She thought happily._ 'It's amazing and now they've managed to fix things with Bobby's parents, thank God.'_

With that happy thought Carly headed upstairs, ready to head for bed herself.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	13. iHave a Happy Christmas

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 13 of my iCarly chapter; enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you liked it.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, here you go.  
PD31: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; true, they are busy but they have spoken about it. They currently do not have a chance and they will have some moments together in a later chapter.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iHave a Happy Christmas**

Paige Benson woke up excited; it was the 25th of December, Christmas day, her favourite holiday. She jumped out of bed and hurried through to Carly's room. Carly was still asleep but was woken up by Paige.

"Mom, Mom, wake up," She called out, "It's Christmas."

Carly awoke and laughed at Paige's energy. She got out of bed and hugged the girl.

"Merry Christmas Paige." She greeted the girl and together they left the room.

Carly checked the clock as they left; it was just after seven O'clock. As they walked downstairs Carly turned to Paige.

"Let's go get something to eat first; we'll let Rach sleep a bit longer." She explained.

"Dad and Grandma Benson will be over soon too?" Paige asked enthusiastically. Carly nodded and Paige smiled. "What about Aunt Sam and Uncle Bobby?"

"They'll be awake soon; Aunt Sam will be getting hungry soon."

They headed through to the kitchen and Carly began fixing breakfast. While she worked Paige looked around at the decorations with a smile. The place was decorated with all the Christmas finery. The tree was tall, almost reaching the ceiling. To avoid another incident, Spencer had been kept away from the tree. It was decorated with garlands, fake icicles and countless other decorations which also decorated the apartment. Perched on top of the tree was an ornate angel figure, the presents had been gathered around the base of the tree. Everything was ready for Christmas Dinner and soon Carly had finished breakfast and they began eating.

As they ate Sam and Bobby came out of their room, Bobby had his arm around her and his hand resting on her stomach.

"Mornin'" Sam greeted sleepily, "What's cooking?"

"Ham and Eggs," Carly replied.

Sam winced; she still couldn't eat her beloved ham. "Yeah, rub it in Carls."

Paige giggled as Sam sat down at the kitchen table and Bobby began to prepare Sam's new favourite gumbo. While Bobby worked Carly and Paige headed upstairs, to wake Rachel. They entered Rachel's room; Rachel was asleep in her crib when they approached her. Carly lifted the little girl up and Rachel instantly woke up and smiled her blindly bright smile.

"Mama!" She cried out cheerfully and snuggled into Carly's arms. Paige smiled and gently reached her hand up to ruffle Rachel's hair, Rachel giggled, "Paige!"

Together the trio headed back downstairs to where Sam and Bobby were now eating. There was a knock at the door, Carly handed Rachel to Paige and answered it. It was Freddie and Mrs. Benson, Carly invited them in, as she closed the door she noticed Freddie had stopped, she turned to face him and saw he was glancing upwards. She looked up and felt herself blush when she saw she was under some mistletoe. Freddie smirked and Carly shook her head before they kissed.

"Eeewwww." Paige cried in mock disgust as she covered Rachel's eyes, much to the little girl's confusion.

Carly and Freddie laughed and soon joined the others, with everyone finished eating they began to open the presents.

They all opened their presents together, Carly helping Rachel with hers. As the group spoke and laughed as they opened the presents there was another knock at the door. Carly hurried to answer it; it was Melanie, along with the Dukes.

"Hey guys, c'mon in," She greeted, "We're just about to get ready."

They nodded and came in; Paige ran over to them happily and hugged them. After Sam, Bobby, Carly, Paige and Rachel got dressed they all gathered into the living room. It was then Spencer entered dressed as Santa, Paige and Rachel cheered happily as he handed out some extra presents. After some time Santa left the room and Spencer showed up later.

"Hey guys, Merry Christmas," He greeted.

Paige hugged him, "Merry Christmas Uncle Spence."

Spencer laughed and returned the hug. Meanwhile, Bobby and Sam were sitting with the Dukes.

"Carly and Spencer certainly know how t' throw a good Christmas party." Remy stated.

Abby agreed, "Yes, ah believe ah heard some others are comin' over."

Bobby nodded, "Yeah, Mom, Pop, ah know ah've said it before but, ah'm really grateful we've sorted ev'ryt'ing out."

They smiled and hugged him, Sam watched them happily and then, to her surprise, Abby, the one Sam knew was the most mistrustful of her, turned and held out her arms.

"C'mon Darlin' is okay now." She said gently, Sam hesitated another moment and then smiled and hugged, relieved that the Dukes had finally accepted her.

Some time later Lloyd arrived with his parents, David and Amber Sadat. David Sadat was a tall muscular man, Egyptian like his son; he had short black hair, black eyes and a five O'clock shadow. Amber was above average height with slim build, shoulder length black hair and black eyes as well as the same Egyptian features as her other family members. Paige smiled as she came over to greet them.

"Hey Lloyd." She said, cheerfully, he smiled back.

"Hi."

"We decided to drop by and say hello and wish you a Merry Christmas," David explained.

Amber smiled, "Yes, Lloyd asked us to come, always thinking about his friends first."

Lloyd blushed at this and muttered "Mom."

Carly laughed and thanked them for their kindness. They came in and after meeting the others they sat down.

"Say, would you like to stay for lunch?" Carly asked, "I'd be more than happy to make some extra."

"That's very kind of you Carly," Abby said.

David smiled, "Thanks that would be lovely."

Carly nodded and headed through to begin lunch for everyone.

After lunch the Sadat's left, heading home to have Christmas with their family. Although the Shay parents couldn't make it home, they had sent presents to them all as well as a letter apologizing for not being there. Carly and Spencer didn't mind, they were happy with the family members that were with them now, even Sam, Bobby, the Dukes, all of them were family. Soon the family were all seated around the large dining table as Carly got to work putting the finishing touches on Christmas dinner. While waiting Remy turned to Sam and Bobby.

"So, Abby and I were wonderin'" He explained, "Do y'know yet, wha' our Grandchild's gonna be?"

Sam sighed, "No, we don't actually. I...I didn't want to get an ultrasound. We wanted it to be a surprise for when the baby is born."

"I see, well, how 'bout names," Abby asked, "'Ave you at least come up wi' names?"

"_Oui_," Bobby replied, "Marie for a girl, Dave for a boy."

The Dukes smiled at each other, "Dere wonderful names."

Sam smiled, happy to finally be bonding and getting close to Remy and Abby after all the mistrust between them. Finally Carly served up Christmas dinner and they all began to eat.

As they ate Carly smiled as she watched the interaction between Sam and the Dukes. She was relieved to see things were finally picking up for Sam.

'_She's still not reconciled with her Mother.'_ Carly thought to herself, _'I don't think she ever will, but still...It looks like Sam can finally relax and have her Baby in peace.'_

She smiled at Freddie who sat next to her and they shared a quick kiss before looking over at Paige who was feeding Rachel.

"Just a month to go Carls," Freddie explained, "Then we can adopt them properly, they'll be able to relax and hopefully have a happy life."

Carly nodded, "Yeah, thank God, they deserve some peace after all that's happened to them, especially Paige. Just look at what happened to her, her Uncle, the death of her parents, being kidnapped, she deserves a happy life."

They both watched Paige, she was smiling happily as she spoke to Rachel, but the sadness of everything that had happened to her was just visible in her eyes. She was struggling through but she was strong, they would help her make it. Hours later the guests began to leave, Freddie put Rachel and Paige to bed before leaving. Carly smiled, it was a good Christmas, she was overjoyed and relieved, she treasured the new members to her family and would ensure, when the time came that she would adopt the girls.

The only other person eligible to adopt them was Josh and he was still in prison and, if the court case held up, he would be imprisoned for a long time. However the one issue was that part of his conviction rested on Paige testifying as to what happened to her, she was scared but Carly was helping her overcome that fear, encouraging her and giving her tips on dealing with her fears. Hopefully, when the trial date came, she would be ready and finally free herself from her uncle.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	14. iAm Eighteen

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 14 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iAm Eighteen**

It was an important day in apartment 8C of Bushwell Plazza. It was Carly Shay's eighteenth birthday. An important day for many reasons, in addition to Carly finally becoming a fully legal adult, she could now officially adopt Paige and Rachel. While Carly still slept, Paige was downstairs, feeding her little sister while her uncle Spencer got to work setting everything up for Carly's birthday. Aunt Sam and Uncle Bobby were also sitting with her. Aunt Sam was sitting back on the sofa while uncle Bobby gently rubbed her swollen stomach. As Paige finished feeding Rachel, there was a knock at the door and Spencer called out that the door was unlocked. Freddie walked in smiling.

"Hey guys." He called out to them all.

Paige smiled. "Hey Dad," she greeted cheerfully.

Rachel smiled and reached for him with a joyful "Dada".

Paige laughed and handed Rachel over; Freddie smiled and cradled her gently.

A few moments later Spencer came over to them.

"Okay guys everything's all set, Carly should be waking up soon, let's get ourselves ready."

The others nodded and went to wait for Carly; they could hear her moving around upstairs and knew it wouldn't be long before she came down.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Carly came down stairs and almost immediately walked into a cloud of confetti.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLY!"

Carly was momentarily stunned before she screamed in joy and rushed forwards gratefully accepting the hugs from the others. She smiled at everyone.

"Thanks you guys."

They all smiled back and Freddie kissed Carly's cheek as Spencer smirked.

"It's your big day kiddo, c'mon through to the kitchen and I'll fix you up something nice for breakfast."

Carly smiled and followed Spencer, as she sat waiting the others all spoke to her and presented the gifts they had brought her. She gratefully accepted the gifts.

"Thanks, although I've gotta admit, the best birthday gift ever, is getting to spend it with all of you."

This brought even wider smiles to the others faces and another kiss from Freddie. Finally Spencer served breakfast, remarkably not burning anything this time. After breakfast Spencer spoke to the group.

"Okay guys, Carly and I talked about this a while back and we plan to go bowling and then head out for a meal, what do you guys say?"

The others readily agreed, Sam decided to come along and watch. As they were getting ready however, something remarkable happened.

"Mom, Dad, quickly look!" Paige called out; everybody turned and watched in amazement.

Little Rachel had been sitting on the floor next to Paige, but now she was standing up and was shakily walking over to Carly. Carly smiled and knelt down, holding her arms out. Nobody said anything, they all watched as Rachel took her first steps. Finally, she reached Carly and held on to her arms as she walked the last few steps. Carly picked her up, smiling.

"Well done sweetie, you did great."

Rachel laughed and hugged Carly and soon the entire group headed out for Carly's birthday, first stop, the bowling alley.

They arrived at the bowling alley and paid for the pre-booked lanes. Once they got ready they headed over and prepared to begin, Sam would be sitting watching them along with Rachel. They managed to prepare everything and Carly got up to take her first shot while everybody watched, smiling. Sam sat holding Rachel.

"Here we go Rach, watch." Sam said cheerfully.

Carly bowled and managed to knock down several of the pins; she smirked and took the second shot of her first turn. She knocked down the rest of them scoring a 'Spare'. The others all applauded, Sam smiled and joined in, prompting Rachel to also clap her hands.

"Yay!" She cheered. Freddie went up to take his turn as Carly came back to where Sam and Rachel were sitting.

"Nice shot Carls," Sam complimented.

Carly smiled, "Thanks Sam."

Sam smiled back and then gasped before smiling down at her stomach, Rachel also looked down.

"Wow." Rachel stated in awe, Sam's smile widened.

"The little tyke kicked again, did you feel it too Rach."

Rachel nodded before reaching for Carly, who gently took her and smiled over at Sam.

"I'm so proud of you Sam." She stated truthfully, "You've come so far, overcome so much, you're gonna be a great Mom."

"I know Carls; I know that now, thanks. I could never have managed it, if it wasn't for all of you guys. You all supported me, you, Freddie, Spence, Bobby."

Carly nodded as Sam gently rubbed her stomach, obviously no longer scared of the new life that was growing inside her.

After finishing the first game of ten frames, which Carly won, Remy and Abby arrived and joined in the second game, this time Freddie won and after talking amongst themselves they all agreed to head together to the restaurant. Once there they all sat at the table that had been reserved for them and consulted the menus. Once they had made their choices they all sat back and waited for their food. Carly looked around the table with a smile, all these people, she knew she could call everyone here family, and them being here more than made up for her parents absence. Due to her driven work nature Laurie unfortunately had difficulty remembering her children's birthdays unless some big work event happened to coincide with the day. Luckily she usually remembered the following day at the latest and sent a present along with a card and letter of apology. Steven remembered and had sent a present too, however he was unable to join them. Carly thought for a moment and realized, at this time, her Father would likely be overseas by now. She looked around the table with another smile. Sam and Bobby were talking to his parents. They all had smiles on their faces; Carly knew what they were talking about, the impending birth of Sam's baby. The baby was due in March. As she watched Paige and Spencer talk while Paige fed Rachel, she couldn't help but feel a burst of pride when she remembered Rachel's first steps earlier that day.

She felt Freddie's hand slip around her waist under the table.

"Enjoying yourself Carls?" He asked casually.

Carly smiled and turned and kissed him, "Of course, this is the best birthday ever, and it's all thanks to you guys."

Freddie blushed at that, "I'm, glad you're having fun." He then remembered something he had noticed, "By the way, I saw you deep in thought just a minute ago, what were you thinking about?"

Carly smiled, "Just a few things, I mean, so much has changed, Sam's more ready than ever to be a Mom now…She's really grown up."

Freddie laughed, "Yeah, who would've thought."

Carly shook her head and then continued, "I was also thinking about Paige and Rachel, we still have to go through the court case against Josh before we can officially adopt them."

Freddie's face was grim as he nodded, "I know, but things are on our side. We have all the evidence that shows what he did."

Carly nodded, "You're right, but Paige still needs to testify, and you know how scared she is of him."

Freddie sighed,

"Yeah but, you also know what Paige is like, she may be scared but, she's strong and determined, she'll manage, I know it."

Carly gave him a small smile, "I hope you're right."

They kissed again and then finally the food arrived.

After they had finished eating they brought out the birthday cake and, after Carly's touching speech, she blew out the candles. They all had a share of the cake and finally, after Spencer paid for the meal, they left. It was now late and everybody was heading home. After saying their goodbyes everybody returned to their homes. Sam, Bobby and Spencer were already in bed by the time Carly and Paige put Rachel to bed. Before Paige went to bed she turned to Carly.

"Mom, it's next month isn't it?" She asked nervously, Carly nodded and she saw the tears in Paige's eyes, "What if, What if I say the wrong thing, what if I can't tell them what happened, what if…they let him go and I have to stay with him?"

Carly pulled the panicked girl into a tight hug.

"It's okay Paige, you'll do fine, I know it, don't worry, everything's on your side. You'll see, come the end of February, you won't have to see your Uncle again, you'll be living with me and Freddie."

Paige managed a weak smile and wiped her tears before asking, "C-can you…stay with me till I fall asleep…Please?"

Carly agreed and followed Paige to her room. Soon enough the young girl was in her pyjamas and in bed. Carly sat by the bed, gently smoothing Paige's hair and whispering comforting words as Paige's eyelids drooped. Finally Paige fell asleep, Carly sat for a while watching her before heading through to her room, she quickly got ready for bed and clambered in. She thought about the day, it was, as she had said, the best birthday she could remember. However now she had to look to the future, to the official adoption of Paige and Rachel and of course, the trial of Josh Summers.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	15. iTried

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 15 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, here you go.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iTried**

Things were tense in apartment 8C on the dull February morning. From the day after her eighteenth birthday, Carly had been meeting with Miss Henson, Paige and Rachel's social worker, to sort out all the official adoption details and paperwork. However there was a stumbling block, despite being in prison Josh was still fighting for his right to adopt the girls. Today was the day of his court case and he was still confident he could win it and win custody of the girls. All this ran through Carly's mind as she got herself ready for the court. Once she was ready she headed downstairs, Freddie was already waiting along with Paige. Sam and Bobby would be taking care of Rachel as Spencer would be driving them to the courthouse. Paige was trembling and seemed close to tears; Freddie was doing what he could to comfort her.

"It's gonna be okay Paige," Freddie soothed her. "You know what you have to say, don't let him intimidate you...Don't forget, we have evidence of what he's done."

"R-right."

Carly turned to where Sam and Bobby were feeding Rachel.

"Will you guys be okay?" She asked; Sam smiled. "We'll be fine Carls, don't worry. You guys just focus on winning that case."

"Okay, remember, if you guys have any trouble, Mrs. Benson is just across the hall."

They nodded and Carly turned back to Freddie and Paige.

"Okay, let's go."

They both nodded and stood up; Spencer came out and joined them as they left. Then tension grew thicker as Spencer drove them to the courthouse. It was more than just a case to determine who Paige and Rachel would stay with; Paige's wellbeing depended on the outcome.

They met up with the lawyer who would be representing them in the case, he greeted them and soon they headed into the courtroom. Paige shuddered; she knew what was going to happen next. Due to her age, fears and other factors, she would not be in the courtroom; she would be in a different room and provide her testimony via a video link. She saw the officials who would take her to the room and looked nervously at Carly and Freddie, wondering if she would ever see them again. They hugged her and did their best to reassure her before she allowed herself to be led away. She sat in the room, waiting for the trial to begin, all the equipment necessary was set up, she sat on the chair, playing with her fingers, rocking back and forth. She then heard, through the speakers the clerk of the court speak.

"All rise for Judge Matthews."

Paige tensed, she knew the trial would be beginning soon and tried to listen attentively.

"This case concerns the adoption of Paige and Rachel Summers, currently living under the name Benson." The Judge stated. "The second feature of this case is the charges of molestation and paedophilia from Josh Summers who intends to adopt the two girls."

Having confirmed the details of the case the Judge began by calling Carly to the stand.

Paige listened as the prosecutor stood up and approached the stand. He then spoke to Carly.

"Now, Miss Shay, I understand you and Mr Benson have been caring for the girls since the death of their parents and the arrest of the defendant."

"Yes, that is correct." Carly confirmed.

The prosecutor continued, "Could you please tell the court about the details of your connection with the Summers family."

Carly told them about how she saved Rachel after she was abandoned by her kidnappers. She also explained how, following Rachel's return to her Family she stayed in close contact and even babysat the children from time to time. When prompted she explained her misgivings about Josh.

"I didn't have anything that confirmed those misgivings, that's why I wasn't really able to do anything." She explained.

She then explained about the incident where John and Annie died and Paige called her for help and explained the incident involving Josh there. After Carly had given her testimony, Paige tensed, but the defence lawyer chose not to ask any questions. Carly went to take her seat; she was disturbed at the superior smirk on Josh's face. Freddie was called up to give his testimony. He explained how he helped Carly take care of Rachel and even helped her with the babysitting.

He then went on to explain how he had completely mistrusted Josh and noticed Josh's suspicious behaviour.

"Now, Mr. Benson," The prosecutor continued, "I understand that initially you were the one who checked this video and verified its validity."

"Yes, that is correct; we sent it to the police immediately after Josh was arrested." Freddie explained and the prosecutor nodded and the Judge paused for a moment.

"Let the Defense council ask any questions they may have before we view the video please."

Paige tensed again as she heard defence lawyer stand up and approach the stand. He was calm and relaxed as he began to ask his questions.

"Mr Benson, I believe you said you checked if the video was valid." He stated, "I fail to see how you could possibly do that, unless of course the video is doctored."

"I have knowledge about technical things," Freddie explained, he then explained the methods he used to check the video.

The defence lawyer went quiet as an expert on the subject verified that Freddie's methods were correct and valid. He asked a few more questions, trying to raise doubts about Freddie's credibility but to no avail.

"No further questions." The defence lawyer finally stated sourly.

As Freddie was told to return to his seat, Paige gulped as she realized the defence lawyer's strategy.

He was trying to undermine the integrity of the important parts of their case, the video being one of them. Paige began to grow fearful; her insides felt like they were in knots; she knew then he would definitely attack her credibility. However right now there was silence, Paige guessed the prosecutor was showing the video to the courtroom. Paige lowered her head, she hated even thinking about it, it was difficult to remember the incident that Paige had recorded of Josh's attempts to molest her. He had been especially brutal that time.

Finally once the video had ended, the Judge called a short recess. Paige looked up at the court official who sat in the corner of the room.

"Can…Can I see them?" She asked; hesitantly.

The court official shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, no, you have to stay here. There's a vending machine just outside this room, would you like to get something to eat?"

Paige swallowed and shook her head.

"N-no, thank you, I…I don't think I can manage anything."

The woman nodded sympathetically and they waited. Paige understood; she wasn't allowed to see Carly and Freddie, in case they tried to coach her answers. Eventually the recess ended and they all returned to the courtroom. After everyone resumed their seats Miss Henson was called to the stand and gave her views on the matter. Luckily, while being objective, her words helped Carly and Freddie's case against Josh. Next however Paige was called to give her testimony, she knew soon the video link would turn on. She trembled slightly but recovered and prepared herself; trying to appear composed. The prosecutor spoke to her kindly and allowed Paige to tell her story, of the times Josh molested her and the times where he had watched her getting dressed too. As she spoke tears threatened and despite her efforts a few slid down her cheeks. Not wanting to look like she was fidgeting and thinking of an answer, she left them.

After she finished however she heard the defence lawyer's voice as he began his questioning.

"Now Miss Summers, I must confess I have doubts about your story." He stated; his voice was condescending. "I fail to see how a man like the defendant, whom your parents trusted, could ever do anything like that. Surely this is just some ploy, so you can get adopted by Mr Benson and Miss Shay."

Contrary to what the defense lawyer expected, Paige didn't break down.

"No, you have the evidence that what I said is true. Unless you can prove that's wrong, which it isn't, then I think it's obvious I'm telling the truth."

The defence layer was silent; Paige felt her shoulders shaking and tried to still herself. The lawyer tried again; questioning her on gaps in her story that didn't exist and trying to make her slip up and say something different. She didn't however; she stayed consisted but she felt tired, worn and fearful. She just wanted it to end; once again her thoughts went to her birth parents and back to her current situation.

'_Mom, Dad…'_ She thought desperately; not sure if she was referring to her birth parents, or Freddie and Carly. _'Please, give me the strength to see this through.'_

She remained strong until the defence lawyer gave up and the video link was closed.

As soon as the video link ended; Paige sat back in her chair she felt drained, exhausted, still afraid. She had felt it, she had come so close to breaking, but she hadn't. She couldn't help but feel slightly proud at that. However that small burst of pride was overshadowed with doubt and fear.

'_What if it wasn't enough; what if they do think I'm lying.'_ She thought; as more tears fell. _'Who is really going to believe a ten year old over an adult…It's over, this was all lost before we even came here.'_

"Had the jury reached a verdict?" She heard the Judge ask.

The head of the jury then replied. "We have Your Honour."

Paige felt like her insides were tying themselves in even tighter knots and her fear increased, she couldn't take it anymore; she reached over and switched off the speakers before burying her face in her hands and sobbing.

The female official spoke. "Miss, the verdict…"

"I can't…I'm sorry, I just can't…"

The female official nodded and left the room. Paige remained seated; her fear mounting as time passed. It was then the door opened. Paige looked up and froze. It was Carly.

'_Is this it, has she come to say goodbye?'_ Paige wondered, terrified.

Carly ran to Paige and hugged her, within seconds Freddie also joined the hug. Paige felt the tears stinging her eyes but her fear was replaced with shock when Carly spoke.

"We did it Paige; we won; they found him guilty, we're going to adopt you and Rach."

Paige gasped, the tears then fell, tears of joy as she returned the hug; she couldn't believe it; it had worked; she was safe, her uncle couldn't hurt her anymore.

Later on Sam slowly rocked Rachel as Bobby watched, smiling. They heard the door open and they turned to see Carly, Freddie, Spencer and Paige enter. They watched tensely, wondering what the result of the case had been. Almost immediately Paige ran towards them and hugged them.

"Uncle Bobby, Aunt Sam, we did it, we did it!"

They smiled and returned the hug. Rachel smiled and reached out.

"Paige!" Paige laughed and took her sister, cradling her.

"We get to stay Rach." Paige told her sister with a smile as tears ran down her face.

"Yay!"

Carly and Freddie walked over and hugged their daughters, relieved that things had finally been resolved and that Paige and Rachel now had a chance to have a happy life.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	16. iGive Birth

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 16 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**PD31: Yes; it's over now, well, answers will be shown soon.  
Boris Yeltsin: Yup :)  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, here you go.  
Wolfiglr2013: Thanks, yeah, I do.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iGive Birth**

It was now March 5th. Following the incident at the courts Paige and Rachel had finally been able to settle in with Carly and Freddie. Sam was reaching the end of her pregnancy; her baby was due any day now. Carly, Freddie and Bobby had gone out to buy more food since Sam had eaten the last in the fridge. Sam was still at the apartment with Spencer, Paige and Rachel. Paige was changing Rachel; Spencer was in his room while Sam watched TV. Suddenly Sam felt it, her eyes widened and she gasped. Paige had finished changing Rachel and turned as she heard the gasp.

"Aunt Sam?" She asked, worried.

Sam forced herself to breathe evenly. "Paige, get Spencer, now."

Paige nodded and called out to Spencer who hurried through.

"What's going on?" He asked, Sam looked up at him.

"Spence, we need to get to the hospital, I'm going into labour."

His eyes widened, "Right, just hold on, I'll get Mrs Benson."

Sam nodded and Spencer hurried through to get Mrs. Benson and, with her help they got her down to Spencer's car, with Paige and Rachel with them they all drove to the hospital. Once there they hurried Sam inside and through to the maternity ward. Mrs Benson watched over Paige and Rachel while Spencer hurried outside and called Bobby.

Bobby, Carly and Freddie returned to the apartment only to find it empty.

"Where is everyone?" Carly asked when suddenly Bobby's phone rang.

He picked it up and checked the caller ID before answering.

"Spencer?"

"Bobby, you guys have gotta get down to hospital, Sam's gone into labour." Spencer told him, rapidly.

Bobby gasped. "Wha', ah'll be righ' down."

He hung up and told the others what happened and they quickly headed back out to Freddie's car and drove to the hospital. They quickly arrived and approached the front desk.

"Ah'm here ta see Sam Puckett, she's in labour wi' ma child." He told her desperately. The nurse behind the desk directed them to the ward and they hurried there immediately.

When they arrived they found Spencer, Paige and Rachel waiting outside. They hurried forwards.

"How is she?" Carly asked.

Spencer answered quickly, "She's okay, still going through contractions, Mrs Benson's in there with her."

Bobby hurried into the room. Sam was lying in the bed and was breathing heavily. Bobby hurried over to her.

"Bobby, you made it." She gasped; Bobby smiled and took her hand.

"Ah'm here _Cher_."

Bobby suddenly winced as Sam's grip on his hand tightened when a contraction struck. Mrs Benson did her best to help out.

"Remember your breathing Sam."

Sam controlled her breathing, "How...How much longer?"

Mrs Benson checked and then sighed, "You're only four centimetres just now, still some time to go."

Sam groaned and Bobby did his best to keep her comfortable.

Outside the others sat and waited. Carly cradled Rachel as her eyelids drooped.

"Sweepy." She mumbled.

"It's okay sweetie, you can sleep." Carly said softly.

As Rachel's eyes closed Paige looked up at Carly and Freddie.

"Is Aunt Sam really okay?" She asked, worried as they heard Sam scream in pain. Freddie smiled and nodded, "She'll be okay Paige, her baby is gonna be born soon."

"Oh, does it...always hurt like that?"

Carly sighed, "From what I've heard, yeah, it usually does."

Paige swallowed, "Oh..."

Carly didn't want to scare Paige in any way so she added. "It does hurt but, in the end it's always worth it. In the end...you end up with the greatest blessing in the world."

Paige smiled, "Really."

Carly nodded in response. After a while Paige also began to feel tired and fell asleep, leaning against Freddie.

They sat quietly, even Spencer, Sam's occasional screams were the only indication that something was still happening. Some time later Remy and Abby arrived. Almost nine hours later Mrs. Benson came out with Sam and Bobby, getting taken through to the delivery room. Paige woke up at this.

"What's going on?" She asked, confused Carly smiled and reassured her.

"Nearly there, Sam will have her baby really soon."

Paige smiled and decided to stay awake now.

Within the delivery room Sam screamed.

"Is okay now Sam, you're nearly dere." He reassured her. Sam nodded desperately, her face shining with perspiration.

After about ten more minutes of pain, Mrs. Benson smiled and nodded.

"Okay Sam, you're nearly there, just one more push."

Sam did so and soon, minutes later, the baby was born.

"Congratulations, it's a girl." Mrs. Benson stated.

They both smiled at this and Bobby laughed, "Ah told ya ah felt it in ma bones it was a girl."

Sam shook her head, "Shut up." She muttered.

Finally Mrs. Benson handed her the baby girl, comfortably wrapped in a blanket and cleaned up. Sam took the girl and cradled her; she smiled at the adorable little girl.

"She's so tiny," Sam said softly.

The little girl was slightly smaller than average. She had a small tuft of blonde hair, obviously inherited from Sam, along with inheriting Sam's nose. Her eyes however were clearly Bobby's being the same brown shade and shape.

"Do you want me to get the others now?" Mrs Benson asked. Sam nodded and Mrs. Benson headed outside. A little later Carly, Freddie, Spencer, Remy, Abby and Paige entered.

"Hey guys," Sam greeted them happily, "I'd like you to meet, Marie Duke."

The others all smiled when they saw the little girl who was staring wide-eyed, bemused by all the attention.

"Awww, she's so cute." Paige stated cheerfully.

Sam smiled, "Thanks Paige."

The others were happy, seeing the gentle warmth and the pride of motherhood already radiating from Sam. Some time later Sam felt exhausted.

"Is okay Sam." Bobby reassured her, "Ah'll take care of 'er, you get some rest."

Sam agreed and passed Marie over to Bobby. The others left the room so Sam could drift off to sleep. Bobby smiled and cradled his baby girl. She stared up at him before her tiny hand reached out from within the blanket. He smiled and gently held her in his left arm, holding his right finger within reach of her hand. It closed around his finger and a smile appeared on her face.

It was a week later and Marie was allowed to go home. Her crib had been set up in Sam and Bobby's room. Right now however there were problems. It was late at night and Marie was awake, screaming. Sam was at her wits end, Bobby was having difficulty too. Carly stepped into their room, Paige just behind her.

"Guys?" She asked worried.

Sam turned to her, frantic, "I don't know what's going on. I've changed her; fed her...She won't stop crying."

Carly listened to Marie's cries, like Rachel, Marie's cries were different depending on what was bothering her. She sighed as she realized what Marie's problem was.

"It's okay Sam, She just had a nightmare...She wants her mama, that's all."

Sam blinked in surprise but then picked Marie up and cradled her.

"It's okay sweetie, mama's here." She said softly as she cradled her little girl.

Marie's tiny hand grasped the air several times before grasping at Sam's shirt. She gradually quieted down before finally closing her eyes and drifting back to sleep. Sam kissed her forehead and gently set Marie back in her crib. Sam turned to Carly.

"Thanks Carls, I'm sorry if we woke Rach up."

Carly shook her head. "No, it's fine." She paused and then added, smiling softly. "You're doing great."

Carly and Paige left for bed. Sam turned to Bobby and kissed him.

"We did it, we're parents now." She said softly.

Bobby nodded, "Yeah, we did."

They both returned to bed, happy and proud to finally be parents.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	17. iGet Ready for Finals

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 17 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yup, they did :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iGet Ready for Finals**

Paige Benson smiled; just when she thought all the drama of the past few months was done and things would calm down, more drama began. This time however, much to her relief, she was not directly affected by it; it was summer and for her adoptive parents, Carly and Freddie along with Aunt Sam and Uncle Bobby, it was finals time. This prompted a lot of panicked preparation on Carly's part; however Freddie, Bobby even Sam seemed calmer and more organized in their study plans. It was especially surprising with Sam; not because of her usual attitude, she was much more responsible now. Paige wondered how Sam managed to be so organized in her study plan when she had Marie to look after. She smiled when saw her friends approaching.

"Hi Paige." Lacie called out.

"Hey."

She exchanged greetings with the rest of her friends and finally Lloyd spoke up.

"So, how have you been?" He asked.

"Good." Paige replied with a smile. "Things have been pretty hectic the last few months, but yeah, everything's great now."

Her friends all shared a concerned look and one of them, Henry, asked her. "Hectic, how?"

She bit her lip. "Well, you all know about the kidnapping last year."

They all nodded; Lloyd looked stricken, Paige knew he blamed himself for that incident, he felt that if he had managed to convince her to take the ride from his parents she would've been safe, but Paige didn't blame him, she couldn't.

Paige took a deep breath and continued.

"Well, that was just the beginning. Earlier this year I had to go through a court case and only once it was done, if we won it, could the adoption be finalized."

Her friends gasped and finally Lloyd spoke up.

"So, that means then…"

Paige smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I've now been officially adopted by Carly and Freddie."

Her friends all smiled happy for her and she continued.

"After that, Aunt Sam had her baby, I thought things were calming down but now…now they're all getting ready for finals and mom's getting worked up. But I know everything will be fine in the end."

The others all nodded and another of her friends, James laughed.

"Cool; well, we better get home guys."

They all agreed, this time Paige accepted the ride home from Lloyd's parents, not wanting to take the risk again. Finally they arrived at Bushwell Plaza and Paige got out, she said goodbye to the Sadat's and headed up to her floor. She entered the apartment and smiled when she saw Sam and Bobby seated at the couch, studying; Spencer was through in the kitchen feeding Rachel.

"Hi." Paige called out in greeting to them.

Sam and Bobby looked up and smiled, Spencer came through from the kitchen, Rachel laughed and reached for her sister; Paige gently took her and picked up where Spencer left off.

Meanwhile, upstairs in Carly's room, she was frantically trying to make sure she had all the material she needed for the finals. The door opened and she turned quickly; Freddie sighed when he saw the stressed state she was in.

"Carls, you need to relax."

She stared at him. "Relax; Freddie; it's the finals, I…"

Freddie came over and hugged her. "I know, but think about how much work we have put in, even Sam…Trust me Carly, we're ready."

Carly slowly nodded; it was true; she had been surprised at Sam's efforts, pleasantly surprised and she supposed Freddie was right.

"Yeah, you're right; let's…let's go get something to eat."

Freddie nodded and they headed downstairs, joining the others. Paige smiled when she saw them coming down the stairs as she burped Rachel.

"Hey mom, dad."

They both smiled and greeted her and soon they were all seated around the main room, taking a well-deserved break. Paige gently began rocking Rachel but the one year old refused to fall asleep.

"No sleep." She cried.

Paige sighed. "Rach, please."  
"No."

Carly came over and did her best to help, gently singing to the little girl. Finally, despite her efforts to fight it, Rachel's eyelids drooped and she drifted off. Paige went to put her in her crib.

"You know." Sam stated. "It never seems to be a struggle to get Marie to sleep."

Carly sighed. "Don't rub it in Sam."

Sam smiled apologetically before the sounds of Marie crying prompted her to hurry through to her and Bobby's room.

Sam smiled as she gently picked up her daughter and cradled her.

"It's okay princess." She said softly; she was starting to understand the meanings of Marie's different cries and knew what was wrong with her. "Let's go."  
She set Marie on the changing mat and began to change her daughter's diaper. As she finished Bobby entered and smiled.

"'Ow's Marie?" He asked.

Sam smiled. "She's fine, she just needed changing."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as Sam rocked Marie in her arms. Finally Sam asked. "So, are you ready for the finals?"

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, ah am; wha' 'bout you?"

"I'm ready too; I never I would be but, I am." Was Sam's honest reply.

"Ah'm surprised." Bobby stated. "So is Carly, we all though'…"

Sam nodded. "I know, but things change." She smiled at her sleeping daughter in her arms. "Usually for the better."

Bobby nodded in agreement and they sat together, enjoying the peaceful moment. They knew that before long they would have to get back to studying, but until then, they were determined to enjoy this moment together. For Carly and Freddie, their moment consisted of spending some time alone together; Paige was downstairs with Spencer, Rachel was asleep. They lay on Carly's bed; arms around each other, kissing. It had been some time since they had been able to do this; it felt good, being able to relax and let their troubles go like this; just enjoy each other's company, even if it was only temporary.

Meanwhile, while talking to Spencer Paige heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. She was surprised when she saw it was the police.

"Excuse me, is this the Shay Residence?" He asked kindly.

Paige nodded. "Yes."

The officer smiled. "I need to speak with Carly Shay."

"Okay."

Paige let the officer in and told Spencer who went up to tell Carly. Eventually everybody had gathered and was waiting to hear what the officer had to say.

The officer cleared his throat and then spoke. "We have some information about the kidnapping."

Paige tensed; she still had nightmares about that horrific event that had almost killed her. The officer continued.

"One of the kidnappers apparently couldn't live with the guilt anymore and has turned themselves in. According to this perpetrator, the kidnapping was a cover up; you were the real target Miss Shay. They were going to let your daughter go after they grabbed you when you delivered the ransom. They didn't even care about the ransom at all; they just did that to make it seem real."

This shocked them all; the kidnappers had been after Carly, but directly kidnapping her would have been difficult due to the others being there almost constantly, so they used Paige as bait.

Finally Carly found her voice. "Who…Who was it?"

"The one who turned themselves in was a boy named Nevel Papperman; and he claims the other one is a girl named Missy Robinson"

That shocked them all again; Nevel and Missy; two of Carly's worst enemies.

The officer however smiled reassuringly.

"I wouldn't worry; Mr. Papperman has already turned himself in and acting on his information, I am confident that we'll have Miss Robinson apprehended before long." He paused and then added. "I am aware you are busy at present but we can still keep you informed of any progress."

Carly nodded. "Yes, thank you, that would be most appreciated."

The officer nodded and left; the others couldn't believe it; finally the mystery of the kidnapping had been solved. Now that they had reassurances that it would be all taken care of they could focus on the future and, right now, for Carly, Freddie, Sam and Bobby, they could focus on the finals.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	18. iGet Sunburn

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 18 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yup, they sure are, although there will be a little misfortune for one of them in this chapter.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, here you go.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iGet Sunburn**

It was a remarkably sunny day in Seattle. Even better the schools had finished and Carly, Sam, Freddie and Bobby had finished their finals. Carly was busy in the kitchen making breakfast, Freddie had come over to join her and Spencer at the table.

"Well, you guys have finished, we should do something to celebrate." Spencer suggested.

Carly and Freddie smiled and Carly spoke. "Yeah, well, let's wait until everyone's here, then we can all decide together."

Spencer agreed and it wasn't long before Sam and Bobby walked in, Marie was snuggled up in Sam's arms. Her eyes finally turned to their true colour, the same shade of brown as Bobby. She was currently sucking her thumb while Sam looked down at her lovingly.

"Mornin'" Bobby greeted them cheerfully. It was clear that, although Sam still had traces of her usual nervousness, Bobby felt more at ease being a father.

They all sat down as finally, Paige came downstairs with Rachel. Spencer turned to the others and told him about his plan. The others liked the idea and began thinking of ways to celebrate.

It was Paige who came up with an idea, "I know, it's nice out, lets go to the beach."

The others loved the idea and agreed and so everybody headed off to get dressed for the beach.

They drove to the beach, once there they got out the cars and Freddie and Bobby grabbed the cooler and the others grabbed all the food and everything they would need for a day at the beach. They headed down to the beach and, almost immediately Paige wanted to start swimming. Carly laughed at her enthusiasm. She quickly got busy putting sunscreen on Rachel; the others already had their sunscreen on. Rachel giggled as Carly worked.

"Cold," She said through giggles.

Carly smiled, "There, now the sun can't hurt you."

Sam smiled over at them and called out to Carly, "Hey Carls, can I use that?" She asked, holding up the sunscreen bottle she had brought with her, "I'm all out and I don't want Marie to get burned."

Carly smiled and handed the bottle over. She watched as Sam put the sunscreen on Marie who, like Rachel giggled due to the coldness of the sunscreen. Carly continued to watch the heart-warming scene before her.

"I'm so proud of you Sam, you've come so far, and you've done so much." She said finally.

Sam smiled back, "Thanks Carls. Don't worry, you guys go and have fun swimming, I'll watch Marie and Rachel."

Carly nodded and thanked Sam as she joined the others and went swimming.

Sam sat with Marie in her arms, the little girls head resting on her mother's shoulder. Rachel sat next to Sam, smiling and watching the others play in the sea. Rachel turned her gaze to Sam and then to Marie, still smiling. Marie looked back at Rachel curiously. Finally, after a while Marie cried and patted Sam's face. Sam smiled, she was at least familiar with this cry, Marie was hungry. After Sam finished feeding Marie the others came back, they used the beach showers to wash off the salt and dried off before rejoining Sam and the two infants.

"Hey guys, have a good time?" Sam asked cheerfully. Paige nodded enthusiastically and picked up Rachel, "Yeah."

The group all had lunch and with Carly deciding to take care of Marie and Rachel this time Sam joined the others for a game of Frisbee.

"Mama!" Rachel cried cheerfully as she hugged Carly. Carly smiled and, cradling Marie with one arm, hugged Rachel with the other.

They watched smiling as the other started the game. As she played Sam smiled to herself.

'_I can't believe it; I never imagined anything like this.'_ She thought to herself, _'I never thought of myself as a Mom, it's hard work but...Marie more than makes up for it. I know I'm lucky to have such an amazing baby.'_

Sam smiled over at where Carly sat with Rachel and Marie before turning back and catching the Frisbee and throwing it back towards Freddie. She looked over at Bobby and smiled.

'_I still can't believe I've been lucky enough to have someone like him.' _ She thought happily, _'I don't know what I did to deserve her but I'm glad, he's such a good father to Marie too.'_

As she returned her attention to the game she let her musings roam in her mind, enjoying the happy thoughts.

Some time later however, the group was packing everything up and getting ready to go. Freddie looked around.

"Where's Paige?" He asked.

The others looked around and saw her; they all winced when they saw her. She was stuck lying on the ground, her skin was bright red and she was in obvious pain. She had been sunburned. Bobby held Rachel as Carly and Freddie approached Paige.

"Ow," Paige groaned in pain at her enflamed skin.

Carly shook he head, "Paige, what happened, I thought you put sunscreen on?"

Paige could only shake her head and mutter, "I forgot."

Carly sighed, "Oh boy."

Freddie knelt down, "Okay, we're gonna have to get you home, this is gonna hurt, you ready."

She nodded and together they carefully lifted Paige up and got her to the car. They drove home quickly, Paige gritting her teeth to bear the pain. Once they made it back Paige was helped into the apartment and lay down on a blanket set over the sofa.

"I'll go get the aloe vera," Carly said, smiling sympathetically. Paige just nodded as Carly headed through to the bathroom.

Freddie sat next to the sofa; Paige looked over at him and groaned.

"Well, I guess I'll never forget to put on sunscreen again," She said, Freddie smiled at Paige's attempt to lighten the situation.

Rachel watched the scene worried and turned to Bobby who was holding her.

"Unca Bob?" She said softly, He smiled at her and she asked, "Paige sick?"

"She'll be okay, Rach," Bobby told her gently, "Ah'm sure she'll be fine."

Bobby gently handed Rachel to Freddie before heading through to the room he shared with Sam. Sam was there changing Marie, she looked up as Bobby walked in and smiled at him, they kissed before Sam asked how Paige was doing.

"She should be fine," Bobby replied, "Is not lookin' too serious. Carly's gone ta get some aloe vera for 'er."

Sam nodded, "Good."

She finished changing Marie and then gently rocked her until finally Marie fell asleep. Sam gently set her down in the crib and, with Bobby, headed back to the living room. Carly had returned with the aloe vera and was gently applying the lotion to Paige's skin; some of the burned areas were being treated with cool wet cloth too.

"Okay Paige, listen, we're gonna have to keep you out of the sun for a while. Also, before you go to bed tonight, take a cold shower or bath, okay."

Paige nodded, "R-right, when do you think I'll...?"

Freddie shrugged, "It usually takes a few weeks, provided nothing happens and you don't get any more burns."

Paige groaned but didn't make any more complaints.

Instead she relaxed into the cool soothing sensations of the cloths and aloe vera. Carly paused for a moment and then sighed.

"You're skin's gonna start peeling, it may be gross but that's a good thing, that means you're healing," She explained, "But, it's gonna itch like mad."

Paige rolled her eyes, "Great, just what I need."

Carly smiled, "Relax; there's other lotions we can use that'll relieve it."

Paige breathed a sigh of relief. As everybody sat around Paige she sighed and relaxed as best she could.

'_Great, just great.'_ She thought to herself, _'Well, I'm not gonna make a stupid mistake like that again.'_

All she could do now was wait for the recovery.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	19. iGraduate

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Chapter 18 of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, huh?  
Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, that's true.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, here you go.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iGraduate**

It was finally time, Carly, Freddie, Sam and Bobby had received their finals results. They were all going to graduate, even Sam, who was more surprised than any of the others that she would be graduating. She was currently changing Marie's diaper as Bobby got everything they needed together, including the graduation caps and gowns.

"There we go princess," Sam said happily as she finished changing Marie. The little girl smiled and waved her hands at her mother.

Sam smiled and picked her up, cradling her. Bobby watched happily and then made up his mind.

"Sam, there's somet'ing I need to ask you." He blurted out suddenly.

Sam turned to him surprised. Bobby smiled and, after kissing her Bobby prepared to ask her the question on his mind. Meanwhile Carly was already prepared and was talking to Spencer while Paige, finally recovered from her sunburn, sat with Rachel, waiting.

"Okay, Spence, do we have everything sorted out?" She asked, Spencer smiled and nodded.

"Relax Carls, I know what's going on, I'll be accompanying you guys to the graduation with the kids. I'll watch them while you guys get your diplomas and then we all come back here with your friends for the graduation party."

Carly nodded relieved, soon Sam and Bobby came out of their room and then there was a knock at the door. Freddie and Mrs Benson arrived. Now that everyone was ready they all headed out to their cars and soon drove to the school.

Remy and Abby were waiting for them in the school car park. They smiled as they walked up to them. Bobby hugged his parents.

"'Ey." He greeted them casually.

They greeted everyone happily and Abby smiled at Marie. Throughout the months following Marie's birth she had spent time with her grandparents and was just as attached to them as her parents. She smiled back and waved at them. Carly smiled warmly at the happy family scene and then checked her watch.

"Guys, we better get going, it'll be time soon."

They all headed inside.

"Hey guys." They heard someone calling them, they turned and smiled, it was Gibby and Shelby.

Carly smiled. "Hey, how are you guys doing?" She asked.

Shelby smiled happily and replied, "We're great, really looking forward to this."

Gibby nodded, "Yeah, me too."

Carly then reminded them, "Don't forget, there's an after graduation party at my place."

They smiled and confirmed that they would be there. Soon everybody took their seats. The guests at the back, Paige sat with Rachel in her lap while Spencer cradled Marie. Mrs. Benson, Remy, Abby and Shelby sat with them. Melanie had gone back to her school for her graduation but promised to call them later. The students all sat in rows, alphabetically by last name. The teachers were all one the stage and Principal Franklin stood ready to give the students their diplomas.

There would be a short speech from Principal Franklin, the diplomas would be handed out and then Freddie, who was valedictorian, would deliver the closing speech. Principal Franklin stood up to the podium and began his speech.

"It has been a great joy to know you all. You've been a credit to your school and I'm sure we all have fond memories of each other. I sincerely hope, that today will add another fond memory as we wish each other farewell and hope the best, for each student's future. I'm sure some of us may have been surprised by how well they did, but rest assured, we are all very proud of you"

Sam smirked at that, she knew she was one of the people who Principal Franklin was referring too in his speech. Soon Principal Franklin began to call out the names of the students who would go up to the stage, accept the diploma, shake hands with Principal Franklin and return to their seat amidst applause from the others. Out of the group of friends Freddie was the first called up, then Bobby, Gibby, Sam and finally Carly.

Soon the last student was called up and Freddie went up to deliver his speech. Freddie shifted nervously at the podium and then began.

"Well…I guess this is the part where I make some great speech about how we have the rest of our lives ahead of us." He said slowly.

"Okay, here's the thing, I've learned many things here in Ridgeway, and the most important is that life is hard. You'll stumble, you'll fall, you'll hit rock bottom, but, you know what? That's okay because you stumbled before you could walk, you fell before you could ride a bike, and the only way to go when you hit rock bottom is up."

He paused briefly before smiling and continuing.

"Life is hard, but most things worth having are. Things won't go your way and things won't be fair. You might not get into the college you want to, or get the job you worked so hard for. Your girlfriend or boyfriend might break up with you and you'll feel all alone. That's fine though, because things get better. Things always get better. Look at me for example. The nerd, the loser and the geek. Now look at me with two beautiful adopted daughters, dating the girl who only saw me as a friend for ages and best friends with one of my tormentors."

He smiled as he listed off everyone, making eye contact with them as he said it.

"So, yes, life is hard, but you'll – we'll – be okay because in the end, it'll be worth it. And sometimes, the things that you thought were so horrible might end up being the best thing that ever happened to you. All you have to do is learn from the bad experiences and keep moving forward. The play Annie once said, 'The sun will come out tomorrow.' I respectfully disagree, the sun is always there, you just have to look past the storm clouds to see. Move forward no matter what and seize happiness where you find it, and I can guarantee that while you might not get what you want, you'll get what you need. Thank you."

With that everyone applauded as Freddie stepped down from the podium and returned to his seat.

Sam smiled after Freddie resumed his street. She still couldn't believe she was here; graduation wasn't exactly something that ran in her family. In fact she was certain she and Melanie were the first of her family to accomplish it. Although Melanie had always been a certain chance of graduating, unlike Sam. She looked around; Carly was smiling proudly over at Paige and Rachel. Sam smiled too as she watched Marie lying in Spencer's arms. She turned her attention back to the students and smirked when she saw Freddie's distress at the poor quality of the filming.

"Hah, a nub to the end huh." She muttered before turning her gaze to Bobby, he was looking back at her with such love in his eyes.

She smiled and soon everybody was going around hugging friends and saying goodbye. Sam hurried over to Bobby and threw her arms around him; they kissed passionately until they heard someone clear their throat. They parted, smiling and blushing. The rest of the group had gathered around them, Sam gently took Marie from Spencer. As far as she was concerned it didn't matter that her mom hadn't shown up, everybody standing around her right now was more of a family to her than her mother, and they were all here.

"Okay guys, let's go, it's party time!" Carly called out and the others all cheered and headed out to the cars before driving back to apartment 8C.

The party was going in full swing as all the groups friends enjoyed the music and snacks laid out. Paige was also out enjoying herself while Rachel was with Bobby, Sam and Marie. Carly came over to see them with Freddie and Paige.

"Hey Carls," Sam said when Carly was close enough to hear, "You sure know how to throw a party."

Carly laughed, it was then she spotted something. On Sam's left hand, she was wearing a ring, a rather fancy decorative ring.

"Sam, is that what I think it is?" She asked, pointing to the ring.

Sam's face lit up and she smiled and rested her head on bobby's shoulder. "Yup, Bobby asked me to marry him, I said yes."

Paige squealed with excitement and hugged them as Carly and Freddie congratulated them. They had been through a long hard road and had endured tough trials but now they had a bright future ahead of them, one they would face together.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	20. iGet Married

**iNeed to Grow Up**

Final chapter of my iCarly story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yup, they're ready to being the next part of their lives :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.  
Jeremy Shane: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, here you go.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.

* * *

**iGet Married**

Sam Puckett smiled as she woke up, it was the big day, today she would be getting married to her boyfriend, Bobby Duke. She didn't hold with that nonsense about the bride not seeing the groom the night before the wedding. As such she was currently lying in bed, in Bobby's arms. She knew from the way his grip on her tightened slightly he was awake.

"Morning." She said softly.

She turned to face him as he replied. "Mornin' cher."

They kissed and Sam smiled wider, Bobby smiling in reply.

"Today's da big day." He said happily.

Sam nodded and then heard the sounds of their daughter Marie waking up. They both got out of bed and Sam walked over to the crib and lifted Marie up. Marie smiled and waved at her mother.

"I better go feed her before it's time to get everything ready." She said.

Bobby nodded. "Yeah; Ah shoul' git goin' too. Ah'll see ya at de church,"

Sam laughed and nodded.

"I'll be the one in white." She quipped; Bobby laughed and they left the room, Bobby quickly got dressed before doing so. Sam headed for the kitchen while Bobby left the apartment. Sam knew he would wake up Freddie and then head down to the church where the others would all be arriving eventually. Spencer was the only male who wouldn't be going on ahead as he would be driving the girls there.

Not too long afterwards Carly, Paige and Rachel came downstairs; like Sam they had dressed in simple clothes. They would change into their wedding clothes when they were at the church.

"Hey Sam, good morning." Carly greeted. "So, you ready?"

Sam smiled before replying. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

Carly smiled, she had never seen Sam so excited. Paige sat Rachel in her high chair and began feeding her while Sam fed Marie. Carly began preparing breakfast for them; they all spoke about the wedding and how they had made sure everything was on schedule. Finally, once they had all finished breakfast and made their preparations Carly announced that it was time. They all headed out and got in Spencer's car, Spencer got in the driver seat and drove them to the church, the mood was buzzing with excitement and also, nervousness, but excitement was predominant. Finally they reached the church, they got out of the car, they then headed to the room that had been set aside for them to use in getting ready.

"Okay, I'll see you girls later; I better go get ready myself." Spencer stated.

Sam nodded. "Sure, thanks Spence, for everything."

Spencer smiled and nodded before heading off; since her father had long been absent Sam had asked Spencer to walk her down the aisle, he had agreed cheerfully. Finally in the room the girls sat Sam down and began working, getting her ready with her make-up, her hair and her dress; ready to ensure that, as Sam walked down the aisle, she was unforgettable.

Meanwhile, Bobby stood at the altar; he was restless, nervous, he was certain he would only be calm once Sam was by his side. He turned to his best man, anxiety written all over his face.

"Now, ya sure ya still got da rings, Freddie?" He asked.

Freddie rolled his eyes; Bobby had asked him before about the rings, this was the fifth time. "Relax Bobby; I still have them, unless they jumped out my pocket when you asked me fifteen minutes ago."

Bobby smiled tightly and nodded. "Sorry, jus' nervous."

Freddie nodded.

"I know; you'll be fine, not much longer now."

Bobby nodded in reply and then Spencer checked his watch.

"It's about time guys; I better go, take your places." He told them.

They nodded and did so as the music started; Bobby tensed, not much longer now until Sam walked down the aisle and they would soon be husband and wife. By now everybody was in their seats; His parents and Mrs. Benson were watching Rachel and Marie. Soon the other girls began to enter; Paige as the flower girl; Shelby and Melanie, the bridesmaid's entered and then Carly entered; the maid of honour. Finally, with an appropriate lift in the music; Sam entered and Bobby found himself stunned. He always saw her as beautiful, but now, she was absolutely breath taking; her dress was perfect; her hair, everything about her seemed to shine. She smiled at him as she walked down the aisle on Spencer's arm and soon they stood at the altar, ready to bind their lives together.

Once their vows were exchanged and they both said I do, they kissed. For Sam everything was a whirl; before she knew it they were arriving at the reception; ready to meet with the others as they arrived. They stood together, Sam held Marie on her hip. Carly, Freddie and the girls were the first to arrive.

"Congratulations Aunt Sam." Paige cried cheerfully as she hugged her.

Sam smiled and returned the hug as best she could, still holding Marie. "Thanks Paige."

This continued as the guests filed in, there weren't many, Sam didn't want a large audience. In fact from her side of the family only Melanie had come. Soon they had finished the greetings and were enjoying the reception meal.

"This is amazing, I still can't believe it." Sam whispered to Bobby. "I swear, if someone told me all this would happen, back when iCarly first started. I would've laughed at them."

Bobby smiled. "Well, Ah'm glad it work'd out dis way, cher, for all o' us."

Sam smiled at her beautiful baby girl, lying in her rocker smiling up at her parents.

"Me too." She replied truthfully.

It was then the music started and Sam silently thanked Carly for all the dancing lessons she had given her, it was time for the bride and groom's first dance.

The rest of the night passed by with great enjoyment; during a break in the dancing Carly sat next to Sam.

"Congratulations Sam." She said happily. "You deserve this, you really do."

Sam felt like her face was going to hurt from smiling so much. "Thanks Carls; it's amazing; to know this is all really going on…I'm not dreaming, that's what makes it so much better."

Carly smiled back and nodded; she then asked. "Do you know where you are going for the honeymoon? I know it won't be easy with Marie."

Sam nodded.

"We've decided to go to Hawaii; we've already made the arrangements, it should be fine for Marie too." She explained.

Carly smiled, happy that they seemed to have everything sorted out. Finally, after a long and enjoyable evening, Sam and Bobby prepared to leave for their honeymoon, they held hands while Sam held Marie in her other arm. They left for the car, saying their goodbyes and as the car drove away Carly and Freddie watched happily with Paige and Rachel. They knew that soon, one day, they would get married too and finally they would be a complete and real family.

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End of chapter and of story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


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